More Americans believe the federal government is making progress in the war on illegal drugs than at any time in 25 years, according to Gallup’s annual crime poll released Wednesday.
And the number who think the nation has lost ground has dropped to a record low, according to the poll.
The poll of 1,000 U.S. adults, conducted Oct. 1-16, reflects the positive gains the Trump administration has made against drug trafficking and drug cartels.
The survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, found 45% said the nation has made progress in dealing with illegal drugs, the highest level Gallup has recorded since 2000.
Meanwhile, the share of respondents saying the nation has lost ground fell from a record high 52% to a record low 23%.
“The net result of these changes is that Americans have shifted from being the most pessimistic they’ve been about the nation’s drug problem in Gallup polls since 1995 (minus-28 net negative) to ranking among the most optimistic (plus-22 net positive) Gallup has measured in the past 30 years, along with 1999 (plus-20) and 2000 (plus-18),” Gallup analyst Justin McCarthy wrote in a news release. “The average net optimism score since 1995 has been plus-3.”
McCarthy noted that Gallup asked the same question three times in the 1970s, when between 27% and 40% believed progress had been made and 35% to 41% thought the country had lost ground.
President Donald Trump has designated major drug-trafficking groups from Mexico and other Latin American countries as foreign terrorist organizations, and U.S. forces have conducted strikes on suspected smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
The administration has also unveiled a new national drug control strategy that expands interdiction efforts, targets precursor-chemical supply chains, and treats narcotics trafficking as a threat to national security.
In June, the White House sanctioned factions of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and deployed naval assets to disrupt maritime routes as part of its “narco-terrorism” initiative.
The increase in perceived progress is driven largely by a surge in optimism among Republicans, the poll found. Nearly three-quarters (74%) said much or some progress has been made — up 62 points from 2023, when the question was last asked — marking a record high.
Perceptions of progress rose 13 points among independents but declined 7 points among Democrats.
Republicans (51%) remain more likely than independents (34%) and Democrats (22%) to describe the national drug problem as “extremely serious,” the poll found.
Support for legal marijuana has edged lower, with 64% saying it should be legal, the smallest share since 2019. From 2020 to 2024, the percentage in favor ranged between 68% and 70%.
The decline stems largely from Republicans, whose support fell 13 points in the past year — the lowest level of GOP backing for legalization in a decade.
Large majorities of Democrats (85%) and independents (66%) continue to support legalization at roughly the same rates seen in recent years.
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