[420 Girl]

A slim majority of Americans favour the legalisation, taxing, and regulation of marijuana, according to a new poll released yesterday.

The poll is the first time more than 50% of Americans have favoured legalisation, said Bruce Mirken, communications director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a thinktank that supports decriminalising the drug.

The survey was conducted by Zogby and the O'Leary Report, a conservative publication.

Of the 3,919 American surveyed, 52% favour legalising the drug, while 37% oppose it. The poll advances slightly from one taken last week by ABC News and the Washington Post, in which 46% favour legalisation compared to 52% who oppose.

"This new survey continues the recent trend of strong and growing support for taxing and regulating marijuana and ending the disastrously failed policy of prohibition," Rob Kampia, Marijuana Policy Project executive director, said in a statement.

Respondents were asked:

Scarce law enforcement and prison resources, a desire to neutralize drug cartels and the need for new sources of revenue have resurrected the topic of legalizing marijuana. Proponents say it makes sense to tax and regulate the drug while opponents say that legalization would lead marijuana users to use other illegal drugs. Would you favor or oppose the government's effort to legalize marijuana?

The Obama administration said recently it would no longer prosecute medical marijuana providers who are otherwise in compliance with state law, though the president does not favour outright legalisation. In Massachusetts, voters in November decriminalised possession of an ounce or less of the drug. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently said the time is right for a debate on marijuana legalisation.

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