The idea of legalizing marijuana may have significant opposition in the General Assembly, but polls show the public supports the idea.

Earlier this week, Gov. Tom Wolf said it’s time for Pennsylvania to take a closer look at legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes, especially as other states have done so. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman came out strongly against it and it’s unlikely to gain traction in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Even the two state lawmakers who championed medical marijuana are split on the idea.

But polls show a remarkable growth in public support for pot in recent years.

A Franklin & Marshall College poll in September 2017 showed 59 percent of those surveyed support allowing marijuana for recreational use. It represents quite a shift from a May 2006 poll, when only 22 percent supported the idea, said G. Terry Madonna, a political analyst and pollster at Franklin & Marshall.

Muhlenberg College polls have shown consistent growth in support for recreational marijuana. Last March, Muhlenberg’s annual poll on public health issues found 49 percent of those surveyed support recreational marijuana and 30 percent oppose it (the remainder have no opinion or are unsure).

By comparison, a 2013 Muhlenberg poll found 33 percent supported legalizing pot for recreational use, while 40 percent opposed it.

“There’s been a pretty solid move in the direction of support,” said Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.

Nationwide, two in three Americans support legalizing marijuana, according to an October 2018 Gallup poll. It’s the height of public support for pot since Gallup began polling on the issue nearly 50 years ago.