Gallup finds record support for legalization. Which makes the Obama administration's crackdown in California all the more repellent. California's Medical Association has also just come out for total legalization in order to research better medicine. Ilya Somin is hopeful:
Obviously, majority opinion is not the only factor influencing drug policy. A lot of organized interest groups benefit from the War on Drugs, including prison guard unions, construction firms that build prisons, various government contractors, and many law enforcement agencies for whom it generates funding. Nonetheless, public opinion does have a substantial impact of its own. If we get to the point where 60 or 70% of the public supports legalization, I predict that the status quo is likely to become politically untenable even in spite of interest group lobbying. And, if present trends continue, we might well reach 60% support within the next 10–12 years.
Allahpundit connects rising support for legalization to marriage equality:
I suspect there’s some spillover effect here via rising support for, of all things, gay marriage. Revisit this post from March and have a look at the trend lines on that issue over the past 15 years compared to the trend lines on legalizing marijuana. Not an exact match, but broadly concurrent. It may be that as people warm up to the glorious libertarian principle of “I don’t like it, but if it doesn’t affect me, whatever” vis-a-vis gay marriage, it’s informing their thinking on unrelated issues like marijuana too.
Then there are those who do like it and whom it does affect. They are the spearhead.
The Dish 