Wilbur
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More than 60 percent of Arkansas voters support reduced penalties for marijuana offenses, according to poll results released Monday.
The poll, commissioned by Drug Policy Education Group Inc., a Fayetteville-based non-profit which promotes reforming the state's marijuana laws, and conducted by Zogby International of Utica New York, found that 61 percent of respondents support reducing penalties for marijuana convictions.
Thirty-six percent said they "strongly" support the reductions and another 25 percent said they "somewhat" support reducing the penalties.
Thirteen percent said they somewhat oppose reducing the penalties and 22 percent said they would strongly oppose such a proposal.
The survey of 418 voters was conducted on Election Day as they left polling places and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
Denele Campbell, executive director of the group, said Monday that the results are similar to a referendum passed by Eureka Springs residents on Nov. 7.
In that election, Eureka Springs voters passed by 63 percent to 37 percent an initiative that instructs local law enforcement officials to consider marijuana offenses their lowest priority.
Campbell said she did not know whether her organization would push for changes to the state's drug laws during the 2007 legislative session.
"It's a little bit early for us to say," said Campbell, who is also executive director of the Alliance for Medical Marijuana.
In 2004, the alliance tried but failed to gather enough signatures to place a proposed initiated act to legalize marijuana for medical use on the general election ballot that year.
Campbell said other polls done in the past few years in Arkansas show support for reforming marijuana laws.
In 2001, the Arkansas Poll, conducted by the University of Arkansas Department of Political Science, found 66 percent of Arkansans supported legal medical use of marijuana. In 2002, a Zogby poll of Arkansas voters found 63 percent supported a change in the law allowing for legal medical use of marijuana.
State Rep. Lindsley Smith, D-Fayetteville, said last year that she supports legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. She also said she was considering legislation for the 2007 regular session that would create a registration program to allow terminally ill people to use, grow and distribute among themselves marijuana for medical use without the threat of being arrested or going to prison.
Smith was not in her office Monday and did not return messages left at her office and home seeking comment.
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: Arkansas News Bureau
Pubdate: 21 November 2006
Author: Rob Moritz
Copyright: 2006 Arkansas News Bureau
Contact: Arkansas News Bureau
Website: Arkansas News Bureau
The poll, commissioned by Drug Policy Education Group Inc., a Fayetteville-based non-profit which promotes reforming the state's marijuana laws, and conducted by Zogby International of Utica New York, found that 61 percent of respondents support reducing penalties for marijuana convictions.
Thirty-six percent said they "strongly" support the reductions and another 25 percent said they "somewhat" support reducing the penalties.
Thirteen percent said they somewhat oppose reducing the penalties and 22 percent said they would strongly oppose such a proposal.
The survey of 418 voters was conducted on Election Day as they left polling places and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
Denele Campbell, executive director of the group, said Monday that the results are similar to a referendum passed by Eureka Springs residents on Nov. 7.
In that election, Eureka Springs voters passed by 63 percent to 37 percent an initiative that instructs local law enforcement officials to consider marijuana offenses their lowest priority.
Campbell said she did not know whether her organization would push for changes to the state's drug laws during the 2007 legislative session.
"It's a little bit early for us to say," said Campbell, who is also executive director of the Alliance for Medical Marijuana.
In 2004, the alliance tried but failed to gather enough signatures to place a proposed initiated act to legalize marijuana for medical use on the general election ballot that year.
Campbell said other polls done in the past few years in Arkansas show support for reforming marijuana laws.
In 2001, the Arkansas Poll, conducted by the University of Arkansas Department of Political Science, found 66 percent of Arkansans supported legal medical use of marijuana. In 2002, a Zogby poll of Arkansas voters found 63 percent supported a change in the law allowing for legal medical use of marijuana.
State Rep. Lindsley Smith, D-Fayetteville, said last year that she supports legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. She also said she was considering legislation for the 2007 regular session that would create a registration program to allow terminally ill people to use, grow and distribute among themselves marijuana for medical use without the threat of being arrested or going to prison.
Smith was not in her office Monday and did not return messages left at her office and home seeking comment.
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: Arkansas News Bureau
Pubdate: 21 November 2006
Author: Rob Moritz
Copyright: 2006 Arkansas News Bureau
Contact: Arkansas News Bureau
Website: Arkansas News Bureau
