Most people accept medical use of marijuana: Nida Poll

86.30% of the public support the use of medical marijuana, Nida Poll found.

An opinion survey found 86% of respondents support the medical use of marijuana and kratom, 39% think authorities can control its use, and 59% want its use to be restricted to certain places.

The National Institute of Development Administration and the Public Relations Department polled 2,058 people nationwide to gather their opinions about the medical use of marijuana and kratom.

A huge majority -- 86.30% -- said they supported its use because research confirmed marijuana and kratom could serve medical purposes and provide treatment alternatives. But 13.70% opposed it, saying marijuana and kratom were addictive substances that could be abused and cause harm to the general public. They also feared that marijuana and kratom had negative side effects.

The poll found that 39.31% of respondents believed government officials could control its use, 35.96% doubted they could, and 24.73% believed they could not.

Answering other questions, 58.79% said marijuana and kratom should be used in restricted places and 42.76% said people should be educated on the pros and cons of their use.

All respondents were aware that the narcotic law permitted the medical use of marijuana and kratom and 98.40% knew that marijuana had medical treatment benefits.