In a significant development for cannabis advocates, more than half of Americans now live in  states where recreational marijuana is legal. The number reached 53% of the United States population – about 177 million people – after Ohio voters approved legalization in the November election.

That doesn’t mean that they all have access to recreational cannabis. Some states where recreational marijuana is legal have not yet set up the government-regulated markets needed to sell cannabis, and other states, such as New York, have had problems in getting markets up and running. Still, it’s a remarkable achievement for cannabis advocates, especially considering that recreational cannabis was legal nowhere in the U.S. just a decade ago.

Majority of Americans Favor Legalization

Recent surveys have found that a majority of Americans support cannabis legalization, a trend that has remained steady when looking at polls and surveys over the years. This includes national surveys, those in individual states and those divided along political party lines. It’s led to a larger number of states where recreational cannabis is legal.

The growing acceptance of cannabis reflects a broader shift in public opinion, highlighted by a Gallup poll from late last year that found seven in 10 Americans believe marijuana use should be legal. It’s the highest level of support for marijuana legalization in the history of Gallup surveys.

Importantly, support for legalizing marijuana transcends political party affiliations, with Gallup finding that 87% of self-identified Democrats, 70% of Independents, and 55% of Republicans favor cannabis legalization. The data suggests a growing consensus on the issue, with a majority of Americans, regardless of political leanings, expressing support for the legalization of marijuana use.

The legal cannabis market also continues to grow and is now worth $64 billion, about triple the size just three years ago, according to a report cited by Axios. Also, the study found that about two-thirds of cannabis users increased their cannabis use once it was legalized in their state, another factor contributing to the market’s rapid growth.

The Legalization Effort Shifts to Red States

Many expect legalization to slow as the movement focuses more on red states. As the map from the National Conference of State Legislators shows, recreational cannabis remains illegal in almost all of the South, the region of the country with the most people. Just over 130 million people live in the South, which has 38.9% of the nation’s population. It is also the fastest growing region of the country.

Of the states in the South, only Virginia and Maryland have legalized adult-use cannabis (the Census Bureau counts Maryland as in the South region, although most people do not think of the state as Southern). Some of the other 14 states have legalized medical cannabis, but the region also features many states where only low-THC cannabis products are allowed, including Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

What happens in the South is important for the nation. If more states in the South shift toward full legalization, it could influence how congressional members vote on federal legalization, according to an analyst quoted by Axios.