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WASHINGTON – An unprecedented 50% of Americans think it’s high time that marijuana should become legal in the United States, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

That’s up from 46% from a year ago — and way up from a mere 12% in 1969, when Gallup first asked the question and 84% of respondents opposed to legalization.

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“If this current trend on legalizing marijuana continues, pressure may build to bring the nation’s laws into compliance with the people’s wishes,” the pollsters said in a statement.

Support for legalization was strongest among liberals (69%), those aged 18 to 29 (62%), and those living in the western United States (55%).

Least likely to support legalization were those over 65 (31%), conservatives (34%) and southerners (44%).

Gallup based its findings on telephone interviews on October 6-9 with adults in all 50 states. Samples were weighted by gender, age, race, education and region, with a maximum margin of error of plus or minus four percent.