Marijuana smokers and non-smokers agree: legalize the sale of cannabis. 52% of California voters support Proposition 19 that would legalize, regulate and tax the purchase and sale of marijuana in the State of California. 36% of voters oppose the proposition.
38% of Californians say they’ve smoked marijuana. Still, 44% of those who claim they’ve never tried marijuana support its legalization. Prop 19 supporters aren't all smokers, suggesting that many Californian's believe the legalization of marijuana is about more than smoking pot and could be the solution to some of California's bigger problems.
Democrats are more likely to throw their support behind the prop than Republicans. 62% of Democrats, 37% of Republicans and 55% of Independents support Prop 19.
African-Americans are the strongest supporters of Prop 19; 68:32, followed by Whites, who support it 53:37. The black community’s strong support for Prop 19 may be closely related to the disproportionate number of African Americans in prison on marijuana charges. Despite representing 7% of CA’s population, African Americans represent 50% of prisoners in California on marijuana charges.
There is little discrepancy between generations. 65+ is the only age group that opposes the legalization of marijuana; 39:47.
While I am a little skeptical that everyone responded truthfully when asked if they smoked, those who were willing seem to have been truthful about their smoking behavior. 66% of those who said they’ve smoked marijuana said it was always recreational, 11% said it was for medical proposes and 23% said it was for both.
Legalizing marijuana has favor in the public eye and finding an effective way to control and tax the drug may be good news for the California budget in more than one way. With increased income from taxes the budget will get a boost. The state will save millions, from prisons to resources spent on stopping marijuana trafficking. This poll reaffirms that isn't about wanting access to marijuana its a much deeper political issue that Californians understand-- marijuana is tied to immigration, prisons, the economy and much more.
Full results here
22 comments:
The first person born after the end of WWII doesn't turn 65 until next year, so none of the 65+ group are boomers..
That's not necessarily true. My father is a baby boomer - born in '45- and he turned 65 this spring.
I would be interested to see the methodology of this polling. I myself will vote "yes" on prop 19 so I am not complaining about the outcome of this poll, but since most other polls seem to suggest that 44% of Americans have tried marijuana, I find it hard to believe that only 38% of Californians have.
thats exactly what i was going to say my tshirt says baby boomers support prop 19. its the greatest generation our parents who are against it still
except for mine and my in laws promised they would support it
its not a drug, its a plant. tylenol and advil are drugs...
Get information on Proposition 19. Visit http://yes19.org
One need not travel to China to find indigenous cultures lacking human rights. America leads the world in percentile behind bars, thanks to the ongoing open season on hippies, commies, and non-whites in the war on drugs. Cops get good performance reviews for shooting fish in a barrel. If we’re all about spreading liberty abroad, then why mix the message at home? Peace on the home front would enhance global credibility.
The drug czar’s Rx for prison fodder costs dearly, as lives are flushed down expensive tubes. My shaman’s second opinion is that psychoactive plants are God’s gift. Behold, it’s all good. When Eve ate the apple, she knew a good apple, and an evil prohibition. Canadian Marc Emery was extradited to prison for helping American farmers reduce U. S. demand for Mexican pot.
The CSA (Controlled Substances Act of 1970) reincarnates Al Capone, endangers homeland security, and throws good money after bad. Fiscal policy burns tax dollars to root out the number-one cash crop in the land, instead of taxing sales. Society rejected the plague of prohibition, but it mutated. Apparently, SWAT teams don’t need no stinking amendment.
Nixon passed the CSA on the false assurance that the Schafer Commission would later justify criminalizing his enemies, but he underestimated Schafer’s integrity. No amendments can assure due process under an anti-science law without due process itself. Psychology hailed the breakthrough potential of LSD, until the CSA shut down research, and pronounced that marijuana has no medical use.
The RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993) allows Native American Church members to eat peyote, which functions like LSD. Americans shouldn’t need a specific church membership or an act of Congress to obtain their birthright freedom of religion. God’s children’s free exercise of religious liberty may include entheogen sacraments to mediate communion with Him.
Freedom of speech presupposes freedom of thought. The Constitution doesn’t enumerate any governmental power to embargo diverse states of mind. How and when did government usurp this power to coerce conformity? The Mayflower sailed to escape coerced conformity. Legislators who would limit cognitive liberty lack jurisdiction.
Common-law holds that adults are the legal owners of their own bodies. The Founding Fathers undersigned that the right to the pursuit of happiness is inalienable. Socrates said to know your self. Mortal lawmakers should not presume to thwart the intelligent design that molecular keys unlock spiritual doors. Persons who appreciate their own free choice of path in life should tolerate seekers’ self-exploration. Liberty is prerequisite for tracking drug-use intentions and outcomes.
legalize legalize legalize! it's time!
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There's also the matter of your Fist Amendment Right. Freedom of Speech is meaningless without Freedom of Thought, this has been upheld time and time again. Freedom of Thought is meaningless if the government dictates how you may, or may not, modify your thoughts through use of chemicals. That's why alcohol prohibition required a Constitutional Amendment, otherwise, it wasn't within the purview of the federal governments powers, which ostensibly should be limited to handling issues where states don't have or shouldn't have jurisdiction (piracy on the high seas, for example). To have the federal government micromanaging medical marijuana in California is like having the CEO of Bank of America, spending almost all day, every day, telling the groundskeeper which plants have too many leaves. You don't think that CEO might have something better to do?
"I must say it’s a little ironic that the Baby Boomers, the generation partly known for their epic marijuana use is against the legalization of the drug that colored their youth."
That's crap. You don't know your facts. People 65+ are not baby boomers. They're the generation that gave birth to baby boomers and hated it when they're kids came home from college in the late 60's early 70's smoking pot.
Many nurses that I spoke with at the clinics I go to for my HIV say they support this too. One stated loudly... legalize it, tax the hell out of it and get CA out of debt! I was RIGHT ON. Cannabis works miracles, it's naturally grown (unlike alcohol) and helps with a myriad of health issues as well as makes you feel good. So what's the big deal?? They want to poison us with alcohol and claim that weed is going to lead to using harsher stuff? Bullocks to that. They are making ignorant and misinformed statements and spreading fear to keep folks against it's use. I was totally addicted to alcohol, almost killed me. Weed I use when I need it or want it and leave it alone just fine when I don't want it. Imagine that! and admittedly, I have an addictive personality. Just ask my chocolate addiction, it will tell ya! Seriously. I think I'd have withdraws if that were to go away! EEEEEEEEEK
I stand corrected on the "baby boomer" issue. According to the US Census Department the first Baby Boomers were born in 1946, which would make them 64 today.
Others define the baby boomer generation as slightly older. But as an anonymous commenter said this group represents Baby Boomer's parents who resented smoking. I have amended the post. Thank you for your comments.
One cannot make the assumption that all 65+ years old resented their offspring smoking marijuana. Ridiculous. Did anyone ask Willie Nelson? Paul McCartney? It is HIGH TIME that marijuana become legal for adults with impunity for cultivation.
That was quite a rant Antinomian and I agree wholeheartedly. Well said.
I really like the results of this poll, but i don't know how reliable it is.. Different polls show VERY different results. I read an article just 2 days ago that said Prop 19 was losing 43-48, now this says they're winning 52-36. I hope the latter is true, but i don't really know what to believe.
Antinomian, very well said.
Of those who responded to the poll, which group is most likely to vote?
Well what did we expect? Californian decadence is legendary. Their state is going to pot--pardon the pun.
This is a poll of likely voters
I hope my kids don’t use marijuana, either as teenagers or as young adults, but if they do, I REALLY hope they don’t end up in jail! I hope that all parents will join in the fight to stop putting our own kids in jail over something as silly as marijuana. Yes, it dumbs a person down for a little while (about as bad as a day on the video games) and yes, it has some minor health effects (about as bad as smoking a cigarette, I suppose), but those aren’t NEARLY as bad as the effects of being locked up IN JAIL WITH THE SEXUAL PREDATORS, and loss of financial aid, etc. that comes, not from the marijuana, but from the LAW. It’s time to quit letting government officials ruin our kids’ lives over a little marijuana!
Californians: register to vote at
h t t p s://w w w .sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/ Just fill out the form and mail it in!
Other states: Google your state name and “voter registration” to find out how to register!
As goes California, so goes the nation. Brace yourself Red States, you're running out of arguments.
Lets Talk More
http://Letstalkaboutpot.com
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