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Although some states throughout the United States are going through the process of legalizing medical marijuana, the subject of this once completely illegal substance is still being constantly debated. Even though the nation as a whole has not lawfully made marijuana a legal substance, more people will be able to get their hands on this product after getting a prescription from their doctors in selective states. Based from surveys taken during the process of legalizing marijuana, the majority of Americans supported the legalization of medical marijuana. However, according to the latest survey, even though Americans support medical marijuana, the majority of parents want there to be an age restriction.

According to a nationally representative online survey that was conducted for the Partnership at Drugfree.org, which is a New York City-based non-profit organization with the former name of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, parents reported being okay with marijuana use if it was limited to people above the age of 21. 1,603 adults answered the survey with 1,200 of them being parents of children between the ages of 10 and 19. The researchers found that 35 percent of parents supported legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. 46 percent of the parents believed that marijuana usage should be decriminalized. A whopping 70 percent of them stated that marijuana should be legalized for medical reasons only.

The survey also found that around 50 percent of both mothers and fathers admitted to using marijuana before. Despite this level of support, the survey also found that parents were worried about making marijuana appealing to teenagers and children. 90 percent of mothers and 94 percent of fathers stated that the legal age for marijuana should be 21. On top of that, 95 percent of moms and 96 percent of dads believed that marijuana usage should not be allowed in public places. Furthermore, even though parents were okay with medical marijuana, 90 percent of moms and 85 percent of dads believed that marijuana could have negative side effects on the brain development of children and teenagers.

"This data bring to life the fact that parents have serious expectations that legal marijuana will be regulated and restricted to protect kids and teens," the president and CEO of the Partnership at Drugfree.org, Steve Pasierb said according to USA Today. "Those expectations far exceed how legal marijuana is implemented. So the fact remains, whether marijuana is legal or not, much more needs to be done to protect the health of our children."

The margin of error for this survey was 4.9. There were 200 parents from Colorado and 200 from Washington, states that have already legalized medicinal marijuana.