Opinions On Marijuana Have Changed A Lot In 50 Years

Americans' views on marijuana have shifted quite a bit since the term 4/20 was coined about four decades ago. In 1969, just 12 percent of Americans thought marijuana should be legalized -- by 2013, nearly 60 percent agreed . More than 40 percent of the public now tell Gallup they've tried marijuana , up from just 4 percent when pollsters first asked nearly five decades ago.   

Along the way, pollsters have thrown in more colorful questions on the subject, forcing call center employees to ring up Americans and ask them how easy it is to buy pot in their neighborhood or how often their friends get stoned. Here's a sampling of some of the most interesting surveys, courtesy of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research :