DailyKos: “Legalizing marijuana now more popular than Republicans”

While legalizing marijuana is not a majority or a plurality position at this time, it is very close to becoming one. Not only do the long-term trendlines show a dramatic shift in favor of legalization, but a majority of the population under the age of 40 is already in favor of legalization. As such, despite no major political leaders advocating on behalf of it, right now it is only a matter of time–perhaps less than a decade–before legalizing marijuana becomes a majority position nationwide.

It should also be noted that, at 40-41% support, legalizing marijuana is more popular than all of the following:

–Opposing stricter gun control laws (40%) 
–Congress (26-40%) 
–The war in Iraq (39%) 
–Decreasing immigration levels (39%) 
–Privatizing Social Security (36%) 
–Opposing investigating the Bush administration (34%) 
–Opposing national, government run health insurance (32%) 
–Vetoing stem cell research (31%) 
–The Republican Party (31%) 
–Dick Cheney (30%) 
–George W. Bush (24-34%) 
–Decreasing business regulations (28%) 
–Rush Limbaugh (28%) 
–Mitch McConnell (22%) 
–Preventing the openly gay from serving in the military (17%) 
–John Boehner (17%)

In short, legalizing marijuana is more popular than the Republican Party, most leading Republicans, and virtually the entire Republican platform.

From Legalizing Marijuana More Popular Than Republicans by Chris Bowers

What better way for the Republican Party to rebound than to get back to its roots of fiscal conservatism, limited government, and individual responsibility than to become the party of marijuana legalization?  They’d be on the right side of an issue growing in popularity, especially among the young and minority demographics.  They’d have their own Sistah Souljah moment with the fanatic social right-wing base that is scaring away moderates.  They’d stymie the hell out of Democrats who’ve been posturing as “tough on crime”.  They’d claim the mantle of “compassionate conservativism” for real by opening up access to medical marijuana.  They really would end wasteful government spending at DEA, for starters, and be able to balance budgets without raising taxes from the new taxes on cannabis.