An August survey of likely voters in San Francisco found that, despite a wave of negative publicity around medical marijuana dispensaries and busts by the DEA, most San Francisco voters do not see cannabis dispensaries as a problem. In fact, 63 percent say they favor legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol for general adult use.

The poll, commissioned by California NORML, was conducted by Evans-McDonough, and its results echo the sentiment shown by Oakland voters, more than 65 percent of whom voted for Measure Z by last year.

The San Francisco poll came on the heels of political calls to reduce the number of dispensaries serving patients in the City. It shows that voters oppose cutting back on the availability of medical marijuana, with 84 percent agreeing that the number of dispensaries should be determined by patient needs, not politicians.

City voters overwhelmingly favor medical marijuana, with 91 percent saying they support it when a doctor recommends it. Fully 75 percent believe patients should be able to smoke on-site at cannabis clubs, and 62 percent believe that clubs could be clustered in certain neighborhoods.

Eighty percent oppose the War on Drugs, with 75 percent saying the City should deal with its marijuana policies locally, not hand them over to the DEA.

A large majority of voters support decriminalization or legalization of marijuana for adult use. Eighty percent oppose prison for pot offenses, and seventy percent agree that cannabis consumers should be treated the same as alcohol users.

"The overwhelming message of this poll is that, contrary to the hype, San Francisco voters would rather see legalization of marijuana than a crackdown", said Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML. The poll covered 400 likely voters and has a 4.9 percent margin of error.