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Zogby poll: Growing numbers of Americans want pot regulated like alcohol |
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Written by Chris Conrad
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Thursday, 30 March 2006 |
East, West Coast voters back local option for cannabis sales
A national poll of likely voters found that nearly one out of two
Americans support amending federal law "to let states legally regulate
and tax marijuana the way they do liquor and gambling."
 Patients and supporters rallied outside the Oakland federal building March 16 to protest federal DEA raids that hit medical patients, caregivers and providers in Riverside, Oakland and Emeryville. Photo by Mikki Norris
Forty-six percent of respondents to the Zogby International poll said
they support allowing states to regulate marijuana in a manner similar
to alcohol, with 49 percent opposed and five percent undecided.
However, majorities of 53 percent of respondents on the East Coast and
55 percent on the West Coast favor taxing and regulating cannabis as a
local option.
"These poll results are a tremendous boost to our 'tax and regulate'
campaign," said California NORML Director Dale Gieringer. "We included
gambling because, unlike alcohol, it's something that isn't legal
everywhere. That helped emphasize the local option aspect of the
approach."
Respondents' support for marijuana law reform was strongly influenced
by age and political affiliation. Nearly two-thirds of 18-29 year-olds
(65 percent) and half of 50-64 year-olds think federal law should be
amended to allow states the option to regulate marijuana, while
majorities of 30-49 year-olds (58 percent) and seniors 65 and older (52
percent) oppose such a change.
"Public support for replacing the illicit marijuana market with a
legally regulated, controlled market similar to alcohol — complete with
age restrictions and quality controls — continues to grow," NORML
Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "NORML's challenge is to
convert this growing public support into a tangible public policy that
no longer criminalizes adults who use marijuana responsibly."
“The question wasn't about support for a particular paradigm. It was
about whether people supported the feds changing law so that states
could adopt such a policy if they wished,” noted Doug McVay, Director
of Research at Common Sense for Drug Policy. “The question was about
marijuana yet it was ultimately about states' rights.”
Among those respondents who identified themselves as Democrats, 59
percent back allowing taxed and regulated marijuana but only 33 percent
of Republicans. Forty-four percent of Independents and 85 percent of
Libertarians supported such a change.
Respondents' opinions were also influenced by religious affiliation.
Nearly 70 percent of respondents who identified themselves as Jewish,
and nearly 60 percent of respondents who said they were non-religious
believe that states should regulate cannabis, while only 48 percent of
Catholics and 38 percent of Protestants support such a policy.
The poll of 1,004 likely voters was commissioned by the NORML
Foundation www.norml.org. A previous Zogby poll of 1,024 likely voters
found that 61 percent of respondents opposed arresting and jailing
non-violent marijuana consumers.
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Chris Conrad |
| About the author: |
| Staunch supporter of Oaksterdam News
Chris Conrad has studied cannabis (marijuana) since 1988. He has written two books on the topic and contributed to others. Familiar with numerous books and at least 100 scientific studies, such as federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and National Institute on Drug Abuse data. Reported on cannabis dispensaries for California legislators. Consults with government agencies. Testified at National Academy of Science, Institute of Medicine hearings. Regularly consults with physicians including some of the world’s foremost authorities on cannabis and patients as to their knowledge and experiences regarding cannabis.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 01 April 2006 )
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