Determinants of Public Support for Marijuana Legalization in Uruguay, the United States, and El Salvador

Abstract

What are the determinants of public support for marijuana legalization? In the last 3 years, Uruguay and the states of Colorado and Washington have legalized the production, sale, and consumption of recreational marijuana. Although Uruguay and the United States have followed different paths toward legalization, these cases provide an excellent opportunity to explore the relationship between drug policy implementation and public opinion in different political contexts. Using logistic regressions on data from the 2014 AmericasBarometer cross-national surveys conducted in Uruguay, the United States, and El Salvador, this article examines citizen views toward marijuana regulation and the individual determinants of support for legalization in a comparative fashion. Results underline the role of political socialization variables in those countries in which legalization is being debated. Across countries, some of the most important factors for predicting positive attitudes toward marijuana regulation are related to political tolerance, ideology, and the views toward the government.