49% of Californian Voters Back Legalizing Pot, Poll Finds

[Flaneur]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Californians likely to vote in November are evenly split over whether to legalize marijuana, with only a small percentage of the electorate still undecided about the controversial issue, according to a poll conducted last week by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

The poll, which surveyed 1,168 likely voters, found that 49% think marijuana use should be made legal, 48% do not and 3% do not know, suggesting that the proponents of the legalization measure will have to wage an expensive and persuasive campaign.

Mark Baldassare, the institute's president and pollster, said the results show the legalization campaign faces serious challenges: "It's always hard to start out when you're not even at 50%."

The Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign, which sponsored the initiative, also released a poll Wednesday that found a similar level of support for the measure among registered voters, but with a much higher percentage undecided. Conducted earlier this month by an independent firm, the survey showed 51% of 800 voters support the initiative, while 40% oppose it and 9% are undecided.

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Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0520-pot-poll-20100520,0,7200721.story

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I'm afraid this is going to be a real nail-biter. We need to win this.

[Radical Activist]

1. I'm interested in how this will impact other races.

Maybe more pot smokers will remember to show up and vote this year.

[Flaneur]

2. We have to do something to counter the cranky old white vote.

They're most likely to vote, and among the least likely to vote to free the weed.

[No Elephants]

9. Many cranky old white people smoke pot--and have for 50 or more years.

Young folk have plenty of reasons to be mad at old folk, but I don't think this is one of them.

Unlike Social Security retirement benefits, this is not an old-young thing, IMO. It's a right-left thing.

Californians of all ages and skin colors voted against recognizing same gender marriage. Those same Californians will very likely also vote against de-criminalizing marijuana.


Californians of all ages and skin colors voted for state recognition of same gender marriage. Those same Californians will very like vote for de-criminalizing marijuana.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/etc/cron.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_H._Ginsburg (Please note: cranky old white Republican Judge and one time Reagan SCOTUS nominee, Ginsburg, who is just about to celebrate his 64th birthday, was far from a trailblazer in smoking marijuana as a student in the 1960s. Same goes for one of his students who claimed never to have inhaled.)

[Bigmack]

15. Not so cranky if they smoke some, IMO. nt

[Flaneur]

17. The polls say support for legalization is lowest among older voters.

[Ignis]

21. Only when the damn kids won't get off my lawn!

:smoke:

[Socal31]

23. Racial posts on the 2nd reply?

Awesome!

[slackmaster]

12. People of all races use cannabis here

In my generation, we remember being systematically lied to about the supposed dangers of cannabis when we were kids.

Unfortunately many of us assumed that we were being equally lied to about much more dangerous substances like cocaine.

[Journeyman]

3. Ironic, isn't it, that an initiative to tax cannabis is intended to legalize it . . .

when it was a tax act that paved the way for it to be criminalized so many years ago?

I just wish it would be legalized because it's the right thing to do, and not because people think they can garner another "sin tax."

That said, I'll be stunned if this initiative comes within 10 points of passing.

[happygoluckytoyou]

4. PUT THE MUNCHIES DOWN AND GET REGISTERED TO VOTE... please, just this once ! ! !

[Duer 157099]

5. If Viagra were illegal and there was an initiative to legalize it

I wonder how those numbers would look?

[Oldenuff]

6. Keeping our fingers crossed....

It would be great to actually be able to decide for ourselves as adults wouldn't it? Too bad that there are those who believe that they have to right to decide for us.

I do hope that this passes...but I do know that there are those who would otherwise support it who will be voting against it,and it includes a number of for-profit growers who rely on the income.

[Curtis]

7. Call me paranoid

But I wonder if this poll is accurate or maybe even tampered with. Could there be some poll tampering so there can be some ballot box tampering on election day and no one will be the wiser? The reason I wonder this (no I don't get high) is that polls I've seen in the past here in ca used to run close to 60 percent for legalization, and now it's this low? Seems strange

[Scuba]

8. One can rig a poll about a zillion different ways....

...and get any outcome you want.

[Freddie Stubbs]

18. The 60% figure may have been registered voters as opposed to likely voters

[Fly by night]

10. This is concerning. It shows that support for legal pot is dropping.

Earlier polls showed 56% support for the "tax and regulate" referendum. Here's hoping that this trend is due to sampling error, though with two new polls showing support now near 50%, that appears unlikely.

Although I don't know how real it is, there supposedly is a bumper-sticker being distributed in Humboldt county (whose economy is deeply tied to the current illicit cannabis marketplace) that says "Keep pot illegal."

Come on, California. You can do it. Please do (for all of us).

[David__77]

11. It makes sense.

Some people like the idea in the abstract but in reality don't like it. They feel like they'd be abetting drug use to vote for it or something. As if they're handing a joint to their own child...

[slackmaster]

13. People like my mom will never vote for legalization even though they know it's not very dangerous

She's 75, born just four years before "Tell Your Children" was produced.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLLLTntnqjk

[David__77]

14. Oh my goodness. Anti-drug propaganda is so funny.

See this anti-LSD one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5TJApnJ8X8&feature=related

Especially at around 1:30, it becomes hilarious. All this stuff only makes young people wanna do drugs of course. If they instead kept to the science, it would be better.

[slackmaster]

16. I hadn't seen that one for at least 30 years - My favorite of all time is the Blue Boy episode...

of Dragnet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Brc4nuU5yM

The LSD one you posted gave me a sudden desire to eat a hot dog. Hmmm...

[harry_pothead]

22. Yeah, too bad they want to be everyone else's mom too by voting against legalization.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

19. I don't really care either way, but the notion of a tax windfall is ridiculous

If legalized the existing "supply chain" if you will isn't likely to change a great deal while serious users will just grow their own and there are already enormous schemes dedicated to evading taxes on cigarettes and alcohol.

[Old Vet]

20. Putting people in jail for weed is just .........................

Wrong on so many levels.IMO its gonna pass.

[David Zephyr]

24. And the other 51% are liars.

;-)

[ruggerson]

25. the problem is most of the yes voters are going to forget to vote