New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks in Albany, N.Y.
Public perception about relaxing laws surrounding marijuana possession don't have as much to do with increased comfort with the use of medical marijuana as the fiscal arguments, he adds.
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"I think what has been much more influential is people seeing that state and federal governments are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year, if not billions of dollars a year, locking people up for something that's safer than alcohol," Fox says. "That's something that doesn't make sense to people in these tough economic times."
Jeremy Mayer, political science professor at George Mason University, says generational attitudes also play a role.
"The most opposed to legalization are the oldest, the most in favor the youngest," he says. "I expect this issue will follow the same pattern as racial integration and gay marriage. As the elderly die off, and are replaced, marijuana will become more legal."
Mayer also points out that at least the last three presidents have all admitted using marijuana.
"Is there anyone claiming that imprisonment would have helped any of these young men? Do we see evidence of damage to their mental abilities thanks to marijuana?" he asks. "Yet all three presided over criminal justice systems that sent citizens to jail for precisely the act that all three committed."
Rebekah Metzler is a political writer for U.S. News & World Report. You can contact her at rmetzler@usnews.com or follow her on Twitter.
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