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A new Associated Press-CNBC poll finds that most Americans oppose legalizing marijuana, but that even more believe the drug should be allowed for medical use.

The poll found that 55 percent oppose legalization while 33 percent favor it.

MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WANT MARIJUANA LEGALIZED

For the first time, the majority of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, indicating a shifting public opinion in regards to the government’s criminalization of drug use.

The new survey, which was conducted by the Pew Research Center, indicates that 52 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, which is 11 points higher than the results of the 2010 survey asking the same question.

Elected officials take notice: support for drug policy reform, and even legalizing marijuana, is no detriment on the campaign trail -- and in fact it can be a key asset to electoral success. Last night The Colbert Report picked up on a trend that has bubbled up in the past year -- candidates are winning elections by supporting drug policy reform.

Monday’s Gallup poll showing that a record 44% of Americans favor making marijuana legal has brought increased attention to the need for an open, national debate on marijuana policy.

In 2006, voters in South Dakota become the first -- and the only -- in the nation to reject a state initiative legalizing medical marijuana, defeating it by a margin of 52% to 48%. This year, they will have a chance to reconsider. The South Dakota Coalition for Compassion announced this week it has gathered enough signatures to put its medical marijuana initiative on the November ballot.

On Thursday, Washington became the first state to officially legalize marijuana, soon to be followed by Colorado as their new laws legalizing the drug for recreational use go into effect. A survey out Friday shows what Americans want the federal government to do about the states whose drug laws clash with national laws: Leave them alone. Fifty-one percent of Americans in the new HuffPost/YouGov poll said that in the two states that have legalized marijuana use for adults, the federal government should exempt any adults following state laws from federal drug law enforcement.

A concentrated preponderance of the voters countrywide are showing their passion for legalizing and regulating marijuana comparable to the manner in which alcohol and cigarettes are presently controlled. As the polls show most US citizens don’t believe smoking marijuana should be a crime for people to consume within the discretion of their own homes. A recent nationwide study of would be electorates showed that 56 percent favor the outright marijuana legalization, along with a strict regulating of the marijuana industry.

WASHINGTON - Advocates of a Colorado campaign aimed at legalizing marijuana through the ballot box are directly targeting the most difficult voters to win over on the issue: parents. "Please, card my son," the billboard reads, which went up Wednesday across from the Denver Broncos' stadium and displays a father with his arm on his son's shoulder.

California voters have a chance on this November's ballot to bring common sense to law enforcement by legalizing marijuana for adults. As San Jose's retired chief of police and a cop with 35 years experience on the front lines in the war on marijuana, I'm voting yes.