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New poll finds majority of Canadians and Americans support marijuana legalization

It appears that Canadians and Americans are on the same page when it comes to marijuana.

According to a new Angus Reid poll, released Thursday, 57 per cent of Canadians and 54 per cent of Americans support legalization of the contraband drug.

Pollster Mario Conseco says his company has tracked the issue for the past three years.

"Support for it is growing," the Angus Reid vice president told Yahoo! Canada News.

"I think it has a lot to do with two very clear perceptions. One is the problem they have with the war on drugs...We really haven't [had any success] on it.

[ Related: Marijuana still not allowed at colleges in Washington, Colorado ]

"There's also this perception...that marijuana should be treated like alcohol. People want [governments] to find a way to get a framework in place where you can sell it to the people who like it and then raise taxes for something that is worthwhile."

Conseco cautions that there is very little support for legalizing other drugs. His survey results suggest that 89 per cent of North Americans would prefer to see substances like cocaine, ecstasy and heroin remain illegal.

"Canadians and Americans see marijuana as something different. They see it like alcohol," he said.

Despite what Canadians think, don't expect the Harper government to even consider any rule changes.

After Colorado and Washington became the first two states to vote in favour of initiatives to legalize marijuana, earlier this month, the prime minister said he "has no intention of opening the issue here."

[ Related: B.C. activist pulls petition to decriminalize pot; will file again next year ]

According to Global News, the NDP support the decriminalization but not legalization. Liberal leadership front runner Justin Trudeau recently said that he supports decriminalization and would look at legalization, while Green Party leader Elizabeth May believes in legalization and regulation.