In heartland of legal marijuana movement, doubts linger, poll suggests
| Los Angeles
A new poll in the heart of the nationwide pro-marijuana movement finds that attitudes have not changed appreciably since California voters defeated a citizen鈥檚 initiative to legalize pot in 2010.
The University of Southern California Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll found 46 percent of California voters in favor of 鈥済eneral or recreational use by adults鈥� and 50 percent against. In 2010,聽Proposition 19 鈥� which would have made聽California聽the first state to allow marijuana for casual use 鈥� failed with 54 percent against and 46 percent in favor.聽
Pro-marijuana activists had hoped that those numbers might have shifted during the past two years. A recent national poll by Rasmussen Reports聽found that 56 percent of respondents favored legalizing marijuana and regulating it like alcohol and tobacco cigarettes are regulated; 36 percent were opposed.聽
The USC poll appears to dash those hopes, though pro-marijuana activists say聽the numbers reflect fear of marijuana without regulation or rules.
鈥淭he word, 鈥榣egalization鈥� implies a lack of rules, and nowhere in the聽California聽poll question is any mention of, or comparison to, a regulatory system,鈥� says Morgan Fox, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project,聽via e-mail.聽
Meanwhile, anti-marijuana groups say they are glad the numbers haven鈥檛 budged.
鈥淚n all my years of working as a clinician at Scripps, we have yet to see a patient come through who doesn鈥檛 attribute his addiction to having started with marijuana as a gateway drug,鈥� says Nancy Knott, a teen drug counselor with聽听颈苍听La Jolla,聽Calif. 鈥淭hese new statistics are going to be played with and spun until the public simply stands up and says, 'Let鈥檚 quit thinking about how to feel good and start thinking about the teenagers who are dying from drug addiction.' 鈥�
The poll also showed that 80 percent of California voters support doctor-recommended use for severe illness.聽California聽was the first of 14 states to approve marijuana for medical purposes. But those against it say the law is too lax in regulating the doctors who issue the cards.
鈥淚f I had a nickel for every teenager who easily flipped out their medical marijuana card, I would be a rich woman,鈥� says Ms. Knott.
Tod Burke, a professor of Criminal Justice聽at聽Radford聽University in Virginia, says the poll can be read either way.
"Proponents will indicate that almost half of the population supports聽the legalization of marijuana for 'general or recreational use by adults,' while opponents will note that the majority of the population opposes the measure," he says. Both "will push for their own agenda."
