Up in Smoke: 52% of Californian adults want to legalize marijuana
The new Public Policy Institute of California poll found that Democrats and Independents favor making pot legal in the state, while Republicans want to keep the laws as they are.
By David Knowles/ NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Mirroring recent national polls, 52% of Californians now say they favor legalizing marijuana.
Support for the legalization of marijuana has never been so high in the Golden State.
Fifty-two percent of adults surveyed by the Public Policy Institute of California said they thought marijuana should be made legal in the state, a new record level since the group began polling residents.
The pro-pot sentiment was especially robust among Democrats, who favor legalization by a margin of 64% to 33%. Independents give legalization the green light by a margin of 60% to 36%. California Republicans, on the other hand, would prefer to keep the drug from becoming a legal commodity, with just 45% saying they would legalize it and 53% opposing doing so.
Mirroring nationwide trends, a clear majority of Californians said that the U.S. Department of Justice should not enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have voted to legalize its use for either medicinal or recreational purposes. Of those surveyed, 61% of adults and 68% of likely voters said that Uncle Sam should let state marijuana laws stand, even if they are in conflict with the federal prohibition.
While just two U.S. states — Washington and Colorado — have passed measures legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults, several more, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont could soon follow suit.
A national poll taken this spring by the Pew Research Center found that, for the first time in history, a majority of Americans now favors the outright legalization of marijuana.
LINKY: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/52-californians-legalize-pot-article-1.1468680
The new Public Policy Institute of California poll found that Democrats and Independents favor making pot legal in the state, while Republicans want to keep the laws as they are.
By David Knowles/ NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Mirroring recent national polls, 52% of Californians now say they favor legalizing marijuana.
Support for the legalization of marijuana has never been so high in the Golden State.
Fifty-two percent of adults surveyed by the Public Policy Institute of California said they thought marijuana should be made legal in the state, a new record level since the group began polling residents.
The pro-pot sentiment was especially robust among Democrats, who favor legalization by a margin of 64% to 33%. Independents give legalization the green light by a margin of 60% to 36%. California Republicans, on the other hand, would prefer to keep the drug from becoming a legal commodity, with just 45% saying they would legalize it and 53% opposing doing so.
Mirroring nationwide trends, a clear majority of Californians said that the U.S. Department of Justice should not enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have voted to legalize its use for either medicinal or recreational purposes. Of those surveyed, 61% of adults and 68% of likely voters said that Uncle Sam should let state marijuana laws stand, even if they are in conflict with the federal prohibition.
While just two U.S. states — Washington and Colorado — have passed measures legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults, several more, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont could soon follow suit.
A national poll taken this spring by the Pew Research Center found that, for the first time in history, a majority of Americans now favors the outright legalization of marijuana.
LINKY: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/52-californians-legalize-pot-article-1.1468680
