Zogby Poll: Nearly 6 in 10 on West Coast favor marijuana legalization
Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 4:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
San Francisco, CA: A majority of west coast voters support regulating the sale of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol, according to national poll of 1,053 likely voters by Zogby International and commissioned by California NORML and Oaksterdam University.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents residing on the west coast agree that cannabis should be “taxed and legally regulated like alcohol and cigarettes.” Only thirty-six percent of west coast respondents oppose regulating the sale of marijuana for adults.
Nationally, support for taxing and regulating cannabis stands at 44 percent. Among likely voters on the east coast, 48 percent endorse legalizing marijuana. Respondents’ support fell to approximately 37 percent in the southern and central regions of the United States.
Earlier this month, a national CBS/New York Times poll reported that 41 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana – up from just 27 percent in 1979.
Responding to the latest Zogby poll, NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said, “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, and appears to have achieved majority support on the west coast – where many voters are already familiar with the state-licensed use and, in some cases, sale of medical cannabis.”
He added, “As voters and legislators continue to look for alternative ways to raise tax revenue for public services and reduce law enforcement costs in this troubled economy, we expect the public’s support for taxing and regulating cannabis to continue to grow — not just on the west coast, but nationwide.”
Nationally, younger voters age 18 to 29 are most likely (55 percent) to support regulating pot. Older voters age 50 to 64 are nearly evenly divided (48 percent) in their support for legalization.
The poll found that a majority of registered Democrat voters (53 percent) back taxing cannabis, versus only 32 percent of Republicans.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or Dale Gieringer, California NORML Coordinator, at (415) 563-5858.
I COULDNT OF SAID IT BETTER MY SELF GREAT LETTER
I dunno…Russ, how come were so excited over this alreay obvious news. Everyone seems to be emailing it around all over the place today. “Nearly” 6 out of 10..”Nearly” implies close and really its “Nearly” 5 out of 10 also, which puts us at 50% or in between 60%. What the heck is going on? On the West Coast Im thinking 7-8 should be for this. I would have expected these numbers 5-10 years ago.
I guess its better than nothing and some areas, just doesnt feel like a victory to me. Or, my expectations are to HIGH…..
If we could just talk to these people who oppose legalization, if we could just provide them with an open forum where they could air their concerns and hear our reasons why legalization will benefit *them* then we’d make huge gains in gaining the support of nonusers.
It is *their* support that we need to get marijuana legalized, and they’ll only support it when they see how legalization will benefit their lives.
Alcohol and tobacco are legal because it makes non-drinkers and non-smokers safer, and marijuana will only become legal when non-tokers understand that legalization will benefit *them*.