Why is experience with marijuana associated with support for legalization? One possible explanation is that Americans who have personal experience with marijuana are more likely to say that it makes life better for people who use it. About one-quarter (27%) of Americans say that recreational marijuana generally makes life somewhat or much better for people who use it, while 31% say it makes users’ lives worse. But half (49%) of Americans who say they have used recreational marijuana say it makes people’s lives better, compared to only 13% who say it makes life worse. And while most Americans (69%) say medical marijuana makes users’ lives better, almost all Americans who have used it (94%) say this. That suggests that most people who say they have used marijuana have had positive experiences, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that if everyone tried marijuana, they would view it more favorably. It’s possible that beliefs about marijuana determine who uses it, rather than experiences with marijuana shaping beliefs. In other words, people who believe marijuana has positive effects may be more willing to try it than those who have concerns about negative effects.
For those who don’t have personal experience, knowing someone who has used medical marijuana also increases the likelihood of saying it makes users’ lives better: 85% of Americans who know a current or past medical marijuana user say it makes people’s lives better, compared to only 50% of Americans who don’t know anyone who has used it. This effect is much weaker for recreational marijuana: 15% of Americans who know someone who has used recreational marijuana say it makes users’ lives better, compared to 7% of Americans who don’t know anyone who has used it. Both groups are much more likely to say it makes users’ lives worse (46% and 45%, respectively).