Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Majority oppose marijuana legalization, new nationwide poll finds -- but where do Californians stand?
A new poll shows most Americans oppose legalizing marijuana, but as California voters are set to consider the always controversial topic in the fall, many readers are questioning the poll's validity.
In the Associated Press-CNBC poll, 33% of respondents favored legalization while 55% opposed it. The results showed a division in age as younger people were more likely to support legalization, while older people were more likely to oppose it. Women and Republicans also strongly opposed legalization.
California voters will consider the issue of pot legalization in November.
The California initiative would allow anyone 21 or older to possess, share and transport up to an ounce of weed for personal use and grow up to 25 square feet per residence or parcel. It would allow local governments, but not the state, to authorize the cultivation, transportation and sale of marijuana and to impose taxes in order to raise revenues.
Proponents of legalization cite the financial and social cost of enforcing pot prohibition and argue that marijuana isn't as dangerous and addictive as legal substances such as tobacco or alcohol. While opponents can argue rising teenage use and the harm that marijuana can cause smokers.
According to the AP, the poll conducted April 7-12 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media involved telephone interviews with 1,001 adults nationwide. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
Marijuana is always is a hot topic among our readers -- and some questioned the accuracy of the poll. Here is what they had to say about the results:
west-texan wrote: Cigarette smoking does not impair your driving...but marijuana does.
Marijuana drivers will be much harder to spot and police than drunk drivers.
If a driver under the influence of marijuana runs into my SUV...do I have the right to beat the living crap of the stoner?
How will California stop legal dealers from secretly setting up in houses across from schools?
Evidence of marijuana in a person's blood should stop them getting any job and marijuana users should be denied all public medical care.
You should not be able to smoke pot and get a job or get medical care...and that will keep expense down.
The liberal Democrats are just trying to buy more votes with this.
Pot users will be more likely to be unemployed and more likely to need free public health care.
And pot users should not be able to get a job...so they will be stealing to get money to buy their pot.
California right down the toilet worse than you already are.
sunnysmoothe wrote: Let me get this right... a NATION wide poll of 1,001 adults opposes legalization of marijuana.
So basically they could have polled anyone from Wisconsin to Florida? What does the polling of Americans from other states have to do with the base of this article which is the legalization of Marijuana in CALIFORNIA?
I am in the L.A. Now Southern California This Just In section correct? Why not write an article with a poll from 1,001 Californians? Wouldn't that make more sense? Sometimes after reading the LA Times, I really do get dumber.
Stevee wrote: Yet another poll where I was never asked what I think.
LEGALIZE MARY JANE !!! this BS drug war will never work just like alcohol prohibition did NOT WORK!
Jack L. wrote: This is nonsense. 1,000 people? I always am skeptical about these "polls".
mikeopinion wrote: La Times is bias this story is based on their lies .you never see the la times report any positive stories about pot because their agenda is to cause controversy.Every poll i have read the majority support legalization except the la times why is that .If the La times doesn't stop their lies just cancel your subscription that will wake them up.
mansterEZ wrote: How many people were polled? How was the poll conducted? Polls are biased and only serve the media to implant a mindset for the purposefully ignorant and mentally lazy. Just another political tool for law enforcement and those who support prohibition. Properly regulate and tax it. Look at what happened when prohibition was repealled in the 30s. At some point reason must prevail.
Because many readers questioned the poll and its results, we wanted to give readers a chance to be polled -- especially because it's unknown whether any of the 1,001 respondents live in California. Do you support the legalization of marijuana? Take our poll and share your thoughts about the results.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: latimes.com
Author: Gerrick D. Kennedy
Copyright: 2010 The Los Angeles Times
Contact: Contact Us - latimes.com
Website: Poll: Majority oppose marijuana legalization, new nationwide poll finds -- but where do Californians stand? | Comments Blog | Los Angeles Times
A new poll shows most Americans oppose legalizing marijuana, but as California voters are set to consider the always controversial topic in the fall, many readers are questioning the poll's validity.
In the Associated Press-CNBC poll, 33% of respondents favored legalization while 55% opposed it. The results showed a division in age as younger people were more likely to support legalization, while older people were more likely to oppose it. Women and Republicans also strongly opposed legalization.
California voters will consider the issue of pot legalization in November.
The California initiative would allow anyone 21 or older to possess, share and transport up to an ounce of weed for personal use and grow up to 25 square feet per residence or parcel. It would allow local governments, but not the state, to authorize the cultivation, transportation and sale of marijuana and to impose taxes in order to raise revenues.
Proponents of legalization cite the financial and social cost of enforcing pot prohibition and argue that marijuana isn't as dangerous and addictive as legal substances such as tobacco or alcohol. While opponents can argue rising teenage use and the harm that marijuana can cause smokers.
According to the AP, the poll conducted April 7-12 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media involved telephone interviews with 1,001 adults nationwide. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
Marijuana is always is a hot topic among our readers -- and some questioned the accuracy of the poll. Here is what they had to say about the results:
west-texan wrote: Cigarette smoking does not impair your driving...but marijuana does.
Marijuana drivers will be much harder to spot and police than drunk drivers.
If a driver under the influence of marijuana runs into my SUV...do I have the right to beat the living crap of the stoner?
How will California stop legal dealers from secretly setting up in houses across from schools?
Evidence of marijuana in a person's blood should stop them getting any job and marijuana users should be denied all public medical care.
You should not be able to smoke pot and get a job or get medical care...and that will keep expense down.
The liberal Democrats are just trying to buy more votes with this.
Pot users will be more likely to be unemployed and more likely to need free public health care.
And pot users should not be able to get a job...so they will be stealing to get money to buy their pot.
California right down the toilet worse than you already are.
sunnysmoothe wrote: Let me get this right... a NATION wide poll of 1,001 adults opposes legalization of marijuana.
So basically they could have polled anyone from Wisconsin to Florida? What does the polling of Americans from other states have to do with the base of this article which is the legalization of Marijuana in CALIFORNIA?
I am in the L.A. Now Southern California This Just In section correct? Why not write an article with a poll from 1,001 Californians? Wouldn't that make more sense? Sometimes after reading the LA Times, I really do get dumber.
Stevee wrote: Yet another poll where I was never asked what I think.
LEGALIZE MARY JANE !!! this BS drug war will never work just like alcohol prohibition did NOT WORK!
Jack L. wrote: This is nonsense. 1,000 people? I always am skeptical about these "polls".
mikeopinion wrote: La Times is bias this story is based on their lies .you never see the la times report any positive stories about pot because their agenda is to cause controversy.Every poll i have read the majority support legalization except the la times why is that .If the La times doesn't stop their lies just cancel your subscription that will wake them up.
mansterEZ wrote: How many people were polled? How was the poll conducted? Polls are biased and only serve the media to implant a mindset for the purposefully ignorant and mentally lazy. Just another political tool for law enforcement and those who support prohibition. Properly regulate and tax it. Look at what happened when prohibition was repealled in the 30s. At some point reason must prevail.
Because many readers questioned the poll and its results, we wanted to give readers a chance to be polled -- especially because it's unknown whether any of the 1,001 respondents live in California. Do you support the legalization of marijuana? Take our poll and share your thoughts about the results.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: latimes.com
Author: Gerrick D. Kennedy
Copyright: 2010 The Los Angeles Times
Contact: Contact Us - latimes.com
Website: Poll: Majority oppose marijuana legalization, new nationwide poll finds -- but where do Californians stand? | Comments Blog | Los Angeles Times
