Americans think marijuana poses less threat than alcohol or tobacco

A new survey suggests that Americans do not consider marijuana as dangerous as other legal substances like alcohol and tobacco.

They do not consider it as wicked as other illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine.

That's one reason why a CNN/ORC International survey indicates that support for legalizing marijuana is soaring, and why that same support does not extend to hard drugs.

A CNN/ORC poll released Monday showed that 55 percent of all Americans think that the use of marijuana should be legal and a solid majority and more than triple the 16 percent who said the same thing a quarter century ago.

But according to new data released, the percentage is nowhere near as high as the 81 percent who say alcohol should remain legal or the 71 percent who believe that tobacco use is OK.

Yet, despite the high numbers who think alcohol and tobacco should be legal, nearly three quarters say that booze is more dangerous than pot, and more than six in 10 think the same thing about cigarettes and cigars.