A majority of Americans say marijuana use is not dangerous, while fewer than four in 10 believe it is, according to a new national poll from Rasmussen Reports.
The survey found that 55% of American adults consider marijuana use not dangerous, including 27% who say it is “not at all dangerous.” By comparison, 37% believe marijuana use is dangerous, including just 13% who consider it “very dangerous.”
The results represent a shift from a Rasmussen survey conducted last year. In September 2025, 42% said marijuana use was dangerous, including 16% who considered it very dangerous. At the time, 51% said marijuana was not dangerous, including 24% who said it was not at all dangerous.
That means the percentage of respondents who view marijuana as dangerous has fallen five percentage points over the past year, while the share who consider it not dangerous has increased four points.
Rasmussen asked respondents, “How dangerous is marijuana use?”
The findings come as marijuana laws continue to change across the United States. Recreational marijuana is now legal in nearly half of states, while the vast majority allow medical marijuana in some form. At the federal level, marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance, although state-legal and FDA-approved medical cannabis has been moved to Schedule III via an April order from the DOJ. An ongoing Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) process is considering moving it to Schedule III.
Public attitudes toward marijuana have changed considerably over the past several decades alongside expanding legalization and medical access.
Rasmussen’s latest survey was conducted September 8 through September 10 among 1,234 American adults using telephone and online responses. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points with a 95% confidence level.
Field work for the survey was conducted by Pulse Opinion Research.
