Poll: Californians Want to Legalize Marijuana

[babsbunny]

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/09/poll-californians-want-to-legalize-marijuana/63405/

Sep 22 2010, 4:03 PM ET

Polling has gone back and forth on whether or not Californians actually want to legalize marijuana, but the latest numbers show legalization's prospects looking up.

Proposition 19, the ballot initiative that would legalize personal possession and growth statewide, while allowing counties to individually legalize commercial sales, enjoys a 47 -38 percent advantage according to Public Policy Polling's September 14-16 automated phone survey of 630 likely voters. Margin of error was +/- 3.9 percent.

Other polls, at other times, have shown different results.

In early July, Field Research (perhaps the most widely known and respected California-based polling firm) showed Prop. 19 failing 48 - 44 percent in a live-interview phone survey of 1,005 likely voters. Before that, Survey USA (another national firm that, like PPP, conducts automated polls) showed legalization prevailing 56 - 42 percent in an April 20 (ha.) survey of 500 Californians.

[AnArmyVeteran]

1. Keeping pot illegal is completely ridiculous.

There are absolutely no reasons pot should be illegal. Alcohol is a proven killer, but I haven't heard of one valid health risk from using pot. The struggle to legalize marijuana is just another war against ignorance.

[Journeyman]

7. The Dangers of Marijuana. . .

The dangers of marijuana are:

1) Getting busted.



A Child's Garden of Grass: A Pre-Legalization Comedy
Jack S. Margolis And Crew
(1971)

[Swamp Rat]

18. Cheetos shortage

Could be a very dangerous situation. :hide:

[AnArmyVeteran]

23. LOL, a very dangerous situation indeed!

[Dash87]

10. I agree completely.

It's another one of those things that nobody wants to hear about or talk about, which makes it so darn frustrating. :(

♥

[Dulcinea]

22. I don't have a problem with this.

I see no reason why pot can't be taxed & regulated the same way alcohol & tobacco are. Think of the money the states could make!

[Scuba]

2. So do most of the rest of us.

[Kolesar]

3. Polls report that less than 10% of Americans are "users"

Read this poll: that must be wrong. What would you say if somebody called you and asked you if you used an "illegal substance"?

[Merlot]

11. ya, that's a big "duh-oh"

I'm not a user (really!) and the idea of this passing is the ONE bright spot in the upcoming election.

[AnArmyVeteran]

24. Exactly!

[Duer 157099]

4. Prop 19 is similar to the HCR bill in that

many people who oppose Prop 19 do so on ground waaaaaaay waaaaay far away from the legal issue. A good percentage of those who oppose Prop 19 are not only cannabis users, but have read the Bill and see that it has some very, very bad things in it. It's not as straightforward as it might sound.

So, as with the HCR bill where many people opposed it because it didn't go far enough, similar situation with Prop 19. It actually makes some situations WORSE.

[Gold Metal Flake]

6. "...very bad things in it"

Like what?

[Duer 157099]

15. I don't have time to summarize, but here's a link

http://votetaxcannabis2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-pro-pot-activists-oppose-2010-tax.html

edit: here's one example from the link above:

Myth #10: Medical marijuana patients would be exempt from the initiative.
Fact: This is not exactly true. While amendments were made ostensibly to prevent the initiative from affecting current medical marijuana law, a careful reading of the initiative reveals that this is not, in fact, the case. Certain medical marijuana laws are exempt from the prohibitions the initiative would enact, while others are glaringly absent.

Cultivation is one such law that is noticeably non-exempt.<17> In spite of the fact that the tax cannabis Web site says otherwise, the only medical marijuana exemptions that the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Initiative actually makes are with regard to possession, consumption and purchase limits, which only ensure that patients would still be allowed to buy medicine at dispensaries. The word “cultivate” is conspicuously absent. Whereas today a person with a doctor’s recommendation has the right to grow up to an unlimited number of plants, the initiative would drastically reduce that number to whatever can fit in a 5’x5’ footprint (around 3-6 plants—per property, not per person). This will force many patients to resort to buying instead of growing their own medicine, because of the inconvenience caused by producing multiple grows a year rather than growing a year’s supply of medicine at one time, as many patients currently do outdoors. And growing indoors—which typically requires special grow lights, an increase in hydro use, and a lot of time and attention—is a comparatively expensive endeavor.

The initiative would further impact medical marijuana patients by banning medicating in the privacy of their own homes if there are minors present, as well as in public (currently perfectly legal<18>)—an invaluable liberty to those with painful diseases who would otherwise have to suffer until they got home to relieve their pain.

Finally, the medical marijuana laws that are exempted from this initiative apparently only apply to cities. For medical marijuana patients who live in an area that has county or local government jurisdiction, according to a strict reading of the initiative, medical marijuana laws are not exempt.<19>

[Gold Metal Flake]

26. And here is one for you.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9192956

[Merlot]

12. Even if "some situations get worse" it is worth it. Like HCR, there are a lot

of steps involved in this process. Prop is just the first step. We have to start somewhere. If this causes a few bumps (and I'm curios to know just what those mysterious "situations" are) so be it.

Really, pot smokers in jail with hardened criminals...does it get much worse?

[Duer 157099]

14. Too many issues to point out, but here's a link:

http://votetaxcannabis2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-pro-pot-activists-oppose-2010-tax.html

edit: one example from the link

Myth #2: The initiative will keep young adults out of jail for using marijuana.
Fact: This initiative would put more young people in jail for pot. If it becomes law, any adult 21 or over who passes a joint to another adult aged 18-20 would face six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. <8> (NORML's Web site reports that the current penalty for a gift of marijuana of 1 oz. or less is a $100 fine.<9>)

And

Under Prop. 19:

1. IT WILL BE ILLEGAL TO POSSESS MARIJUANA THAT WAS PURCHASED ANYWHERE OTHER THAN A LICENSED DISPENSARY.

2. SMOKING CANNABIS IN PUBLIC (LEGAL UNDER PROP. 215) WILL BE PROHIBITED (with no exemption for medical marijuana patients).

3. SMOKING CANNABIS WHILE YOUR OWN CHILDREN ARE IN THE HOUSE (LEGAL UNDER PROP. 215) COULD BE PROHIBITED (with no exemption for patients who medicate at home).

...

8. PROP. 19 MANDATES HARSHER PENALTIES FOR SHARING CANNABIS WITH ADULTS AGE 18-20.

(sorry for the CAPS, I just cut/pasted from that link)

There's much more at the link.

[Gravel Democrat]

19. It's disturbing how the facts in your post are disregarded

Almost every time the media talks about this they lie. Legalized Marijuana.

Well if one takes the time to read the blog in your post it's not what most people think "legalization" is.

19 is a clusterf*ck. And most of the prominent supporters stand to benefit, like Chris Conrad, longtime Hemp activist who works for Cannabis dispensary owner Richard "Dick" Lee, the principle author of this sh*t bill who stands to benefit the most.

Legalization under prop 19 is:

-under an ounce. Over an ounce in public will still be illegal. Who goes to jail in CA for under an ounce? No one since the '70s.

-a 5x5 plot for growing, per parcel. If you live on 20 acres and have 4 roommates you get a whole 1x1 square of land to "grow". What a bunch of bs.

-makes private sales illegal. Wow! Cui bono? Richard "Dick" Lee!! A Dispensary owner in a locale that will allow perhaps 4 (limited) "grow spaces" or warehouses with a license fee of $211,000 per YEAR!!!!!

-has no effect on young people under 21 getting busted because the age limit is 21.

There seems to be an epidemic of people that like the sound of "reform" (like you pointed out, re: HIR aka HCR) but can't find the time to read the small print. Then when others try to reason, those with objections are labeled as greedy, or wanting to see others arrested or other vile things.

Well most voters in this country get what they deserve, unfortunately some of us have to go along with the bus ride.

The one thing most prominent supporters do not want asked is Cui bono. I've seen threads locked for this. They try to turn it around just like all politicians by saying that mom and pop growers are greedy. If prop 19 passes, the first thing people like Richard "Dick" Lee will be doing is hiring lobbyists and lawyers the next day to preserve his status quo.

thanks for trying to get people to think a little bit, unfortunately you'll be attacked and ridiculed. Wear it as a badge of honor.

[RainDog]

20. view it as a difference of opinion

getting this on the law books will help to stop the drug cartels.

if someone is under 21, they cannot drink alcohol, either.

it's certainly not only Richard Lee that benefits from the passage of this law. Every single person in this nation will benefit by California forcing this issue forward.

Busch and microbreweries co-exist. Growers in Vancouver aren't all that worried because they know they have a reputation and the skills to grow and market a product that is valuable.

In order to move forward on research and development of hemp industries and medical uses of cannabis, the plant needs to be made legal... it's not just about someone getting high for recreational reasons.

[Gold Metal Flake]

27. Did you see this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9192956

[tritsofme]

5. Automated pollsters have generally shown higher levels of support opposed to live interviewers

Since there is a social stigma attached to marijuana legalization, people are more likely to admit to supporting Prop 19 when they are talking to robots instead of live interviewers.

[Bobbieo]

8. Hopefully the passage of Prop 19 in CA will curb profits for Mexican drug cartels

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy … says that more than 60 percent of the profits reaped by Mexican drug lords are derived from the exportation and sale of cannabis to the American market. … (By comparison, only about 28 percent of their profits are derived from the distribution of cocaine, and less than 1 percent comes from trafficking methamphetamine.) … Government officials estimate that approximately half the marijuana consumed in the United States originates from outside its borders, and they have identified Mexico as far and away America’s largest pot provider.

[d_r]

9. Legalize it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HcXcYlF3_0

[Warren DeMontague]

13. No! No! NOOooooooooo!!!!

[Bennyboy]

16. Everyone in CALI..

knows someone that smokes it, deal in it, sells it or is otherwise entwined with pot. We know that is NOT the end of of the world, in fact we may go a long ways to helping the world when cannabis becomes legal.

[RainDog]

17. This is going to be really close

people in CA need to work to get out the vote in order for this one to pass.

when it does - hopefully this election cycle, but if not, it will be sooner rather than later - it will be a great victory for the American people over the forces of corruption and destruction in this nation.

The medical value of cannabis is the most censored health story of this century. Reagan and Bush tried to get federal agencies to destroy evidence of research into the tumor-shrinking capacity of cannabinoids. This information was leaked to the public and only then was it published. Even recent Spanish research that confirmed the efficacy of cannabis as a agent to shrink tumors took place without access to the 1975 study.

Nixon ignored the advice of his own commission to decriminalize marijuana so that he could Jim Crow his political opponents.

Clinton tried to undermine California's medical marijuana laws through a propaganda campaign - a campaign designed specifically to refute research that indicated anti-cannabis propaganda is nothing but lies.

Arizona legislators tried to void their state's vote for medical marijuana in 1996- and this attempt to void the will of the people was rebutted in 1998. Congress held up implementation of D.C.'s medical marijuana law for more than a decade.

Bush continued to raid medical marijuana facilities. Ashcroft arrested Tommy freaking Chong for selling bongs.

Obama dismissed THE most requested reform topic - marijuana laws.

IN SPITE OF ALL OF THIS - cannabis is going to be made legal in this nation. If not this election cycle, then soon after.

State by state, if the federal government continues to operate with its head up its ass on this issue - which it most likely will do because Republicans are so fucking disgusting they have no moral qualms about imprisoning Americans for practicing their right to make decisions about their own bodies if they think it will gain them a few votes - many Democrats, too, for that matter.

And when it does, I hope the politicians of this land know that the American people would like to tell you to go fuck yourselves for this indecent, corrupt, repulsive prohibition that you have inflicted on the American public for more than 70 years.

This issue, more than any other in American life, demonstrates the vile nature of a government beholden to special interests rather than the common welfare of its citizens.

[lunatica]

21. This next weekend the Cow Palace in San Francisco is having a cannabis

and hemp Expo, with free trials for people who use medical pot. My son is working it. He works for the Security company that does large venues. They work all the home games for the 49ers too.

http://www.cowpalace.com/index.php?option=com_eventlist&view=categoriesdetailed&Itemid=89

[roody]

25. The bill is not perfect, but I am voting yes.