https://www3.signonsandiego.com/stori...&zIndex=190657

Poll shows San Diegans favor pot dispensaries

By Craig Gustafson
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
11:19 a.m. October 28, 2009

https://media.signonsandiego.com/pdf/...pottopline.pdf
https://media.signonsandiego.com/pdf/...tanalysis2.pdf

As the city of San Diego struggles with how to handle medical marijuana dispensaries, a new poll shows that nearly two-thirds of the city's adults favor allowing the shops as long as they are regulated.
Of those, 37 percent favor heavy regulations and 27 percent desire only a few regulations.
Nine percent want the city to ban dispensaries altogether.
The poll of 505 randomly selected adults was conducted Oct. 14-17 by San Diego-based Competitive Edge Research & Communication, a firm that has worked for news organizations and political candidates such as Mayor Jerry Sanders.
The poll was done on behalf keepcomingback.com, a Web site for substance abuse and addiction problems run by former mayoral candidate Steve Francis and his wife, Gayle.
Francis said the poll shows clearly that San Diegans are sympathetic to medical marijuana users but want it strictly regulated.
“We did this poll to be helpful and so the policy-makers and the elected officials know where the citizens stand,” he said. “I think there's a lot of confusion on this issue and we crafted a poll that we thought was very fair and done by a reputable pollster.”
California voters legalized medical marijuana in 1996, but the drug remains illegal under federal law. That conflict between state and federal law has led to much angst over the issue.
San Diego, like many cities, lacks land-use guidelines governing where marijuana collectives or cooperatives may be located.
In September, more than two dozen people operating marijuana dispensaries were arrested in countywide raids that also shut down 14 storefronts, including 11 in San Diego.
To resolve conflicts, the San Diego City Council created an 11-member advisory task force to help establish guidelines for the use of medical marijuana in the city.
The panel will advise the council on creating guidelines for three main groups: medical marijuana patients and primary caregivers, medical marijuana cooperatives and collectives and the police.
The poll results, which will be presented to the task force on Friday, found widespread understanding in San Diego for why dispensaries are needed. About 77 percent of residents agree that the city has an obligation to ensure convenient access to medical marijuana and 69 percent say the drug should be treated like any other prescription drug.
The poll also found that 45 percent of city adults have used marijuana at least once.

Craig Gustafson: (619) 293-1399;

October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 1
San Diego Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Survey
(n=505 San Diego City Adults)
Margin of Sampling Error +/- 4.4%
Field dates: October 14-17, 2009
Weighted on Age and Gender
Hi this is _____ with Competitive Edge Research, a national polling firm. We are not selling anything.
We are conducting important research on health topics on behalf of health professionals and we’re
calling the good folks of San Diego to ask your opinion. Most people find it interesting and all your
answers will be kept strictly confidential. Please let me begin by asking . . .
Q1. What was your age on your last birthday?
%
18 to 24 9.9
25 to 34 14.7
35 to 44 17.1
45 to 54 21.2
55 to 64 17.9
65 to 74 10.1
75 and over 9.1
Mean age 48.8
Q2. Area
%
South City 48.2
North City 51.8
Q3. About how many years have you resided in your community?
%
< 3 Years 10.8
3-5 Years 10.0
6-10 Years 18.5
11-20 Years 23.2
21+ Years 37.5
Q4. What is the name of the community in which you reside?
Currently being coded
October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 2
Q5. If a measure was on the ballot to make the recreational use of marijuana legal in California,
would you vote “yes” or vote “no” on such a measure?
%
Yes, definitely 28.9
Yes, probably 11.1
No, probably 8.2
No, definitely 39.2
Unsure (not read) 11.2
Refused (not read) 1.5
Q6. How serious of a problem is crime in your community? Is it . . . (The order of the scale below
was alternated)
%
Extremely serious 2.7
Very serious 6.9
Somewhat serious 32.4
Not too serious 38.0
Not serious at all 18.4
Unsure (not read) 1.6
The topic of this survey is medical marijuana and I want to assure you that all your responses are held
strictly confidential, it goes by quick and any opinion you have is valid – there are no wrong answers.
Q7. First, California voters approved the Compassionate Use Act in 1996 which legalized
marijuana for medical use and the courts have ruled that patients have the right to use
medical marijuana. Thinking about how the City of San Diego should handle the issue of
medical marijuana dispensaries, do you think the city should . . .
%
Pass laws to ban them 8.5
Strictly control them by heavily regulating them 37.0
Moderately control them by placing few regulations on them 27.1
Not place any regulations on them 4.9
Or do you not have enough information at this time 20.1
Unsure (not read) 2.4
Q8. Is there a medical marijuana dispensary located in your neighborhood?
%
Yes 7.8
No 48.9
Unsure (not read) 43.2
October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 3
Q9. How far away from your home would you want the nearest medical marijuana dispensary to
be located? Would you want it . . .
%
Within one mile 13.1
One to two miles 9.0
Two to five miles 13.6
5 to 10 miles or 15.5
More than 10 miles away 8.9
Or would you not want it located in the City of San Diego? 21.2
Unsure (not read) 8.8
It makes no difference to me (not read) 9.7
Q10. San Diego’s Police Chief estimates that 40 to 50 medical marijuana dispensaries operate in
the City. Do you think that is . . . (The order of the scale below was alternated)
%
Too many dispensaries 38.3
The right amount 32.9
Too few dispensaries 8.3
Unsure (not read) 20.6
Q11. How many medical marijuana dispensaries should there be in the City of San Diego? (Asked
of those who say there are too many or too few dispensaries in Q9, n=241)
“Too many dispensaries” (n=201)
%
None 24.1
1-3 14.9
4-6 10.8
7-10 13.8
11-20 15.9
21-30 6.1
>30 0.5
Unsure (not read) 13.3
Refused (not read) 0.5
“Too few dispensaries” (n=40)
%
None 0.0
1-5 4.6
6-59 0.0
60-70 14.0
71-80 14.0
100-150 20.9
>150 16.3
Unsure (not read) 30.2
Refused (not read) 0.0
October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 4
I am going to read you some possible ways to regulate marijuana dispensaries. Please tell me
whether you think the following regulations are a Good idea or a Bad idea for the city of San Diego.
One regulation would be to . . . (Q12-Q17 were randomized)
Q12. Require people applying for a permit to operate a medical marijuana dispensary to send a
notification letter to nearby residents
%
Good idea, strongly 47.2
Good idea, somewhat 17.2
Bad idea, somewhat 11.4
Bad idea, strongly 18.8
Unsure (not read) 4.0
Refused (not read) 1.4
Q13. Prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries from operating within residentially zoned areas of
the City of San Diego.
%
Good idea, strongly 47.2
Good idea, somewhat 16.8
Bad idea, somewhat 11.1
Bad idea, strongly 16.9
Unsure (not read) 6.3
Refused (not read) 1.6
Q14. Require medical marijuana dispensaries to be at least one thousand feet away from schools
and youth facilities.
%
Good idea, strongly 74.8
Good idea, somewhat 7.9
Bad idea, somewhat 2.8
Bad idea, strongly 10.6
Unsure (not read) 2.7
Refused (not read) 1.1
Q15. Prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries from having outward signage allowing them to be
identified only by a street address.
%
Good idea, strongly 33.5
Good idea, somewhat 21.8
Bad idea, somewhat 11.3
Bad idea, strongly 21.0
Unsure (not read) 11.6
Refused (not read) 0.8
October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 5
Q16. Require dispensary employees and managers to be fingerprinted by law enforcement
authorities and have their criminal backgrounds checked.
%
Good idea, strongly 76.1
Good idea, somewhat 10.9
Bad idea, somewhat 3.4
Bad idea, strongly 7.8
Unsure (not read) 1.2
Refused (not read) 0.6
Q17. Require medical marijuana dispensaries to be non-profit organizations.
%
Good idea, strongly 45.9
Good idea, somewhat 17.1
Bad idea, somewhat 6.0
Bad idea, strongly 16.1
Unsure (not read) 14.2
Refused (not read) 0.7
(Q18-Q20 were randomized)
Q18. The Anaheim City Council voted in 2007 to ban medical marijuana dispensaries from the city
of Anaheim. Here are two opinions on this issue from Anaheim residents. (Opinions were
randomized)
Smith says cities should be allowed to decide if they want medical marijuana dispensaries in
their communities. The Anaheim City Council says the dispensaries promote teen drug use and
attract crime into neighborhoods and they are just doing their job by protecting their
residents.
Jones says by banning medical marijuana dispensaries, the city of Anaheim is denying
patients’ access to their medicine in their communities. The voters in the state have already
approved the use of medical marijuana and cities should not be allowed to ignore the state
law.
Do you agree with more with Smith or Jones?
%
Smith/cities decide, strongly 25.4
Smith/cities decide, somewhat 14.2
Jones/cities not allowed to ignore law, somewhat 18.9
Jones/cities not allowed to ignore law, strongly 32.9
Unsure (not read) 7.6
Refused (not read) 1.0
October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 6
Q19. Federal drug enforcement officials seized more than 3,000 patient records from medical
marijuana dispensaries in San Diego and San Marcos in 2005 and 2006. The records show
that only 2% of those patients had serious medical conditions, such as AIDS, glaucoma or
cancer and most were young. Knowing this, are you more likely to support or more likely to
oppose the city of San Diego permanently banning medical marijuana dispensaries?
%
Support, strongly 22.2
Support, somewhat 10.3
Oppose, somewhat 15.9
Oppose, strongly 38.9
Unsure (not read) 11.5
Refused (not read) 1.2
Q20. Recently, the City of San Diego announced it is facing a $179 million budget deficit, and will
face significant layoffs of public employees and service cuts, including police and fire
protection. If more law enforcement resources are needed to keep medical marijuana
dispensaries safe and compliant with city laws, would you support or oppose increasing the
number of medical marijuana dispensaries?
%
Support, strongly 12.3
Support, somewhat 11.6
Oppose, somewhat 15.7
Oppose, strongly 47.6
Unsure (not read) 9.7
Refused (not read) 3.3
And please tell me whether you agree or disagree with the following statements . . . (Q21-Q23 were
randomized)
Q21. “Medical marijuana treats conditions such as glaucoma, cancer and other serious illnesses and
should be considered the same as any other drug prescription.”
%
Agree strongly 50.1
Agree somewhat 18.5
Disagree somewhat 7.9
Disagree strongly 17.3
Unsure (not read) 5.5
Refused (not read) 0.7
Net Agreement +43.4
October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 7
Q22. “Officials must make sure that San Diego’s medical marijuana patients have convenient access
to their medicine in the city.”
%
Agree strongly 50.7
Agree somewhat 25.9
Disagree somewhat 9.1
Disagree strongly 11.3
Unsure (not read) 2.6
Refused (not read) 0.3
Net Agreement +56.2
Q23. “Medical marijuana dispensaries are associated with drug cartels.”
%
Agree strongly 13.5
Agree somewhat 8.1
Disagree somewhat 18.6
Disagree strongly 38.6
Unsure (not read) 20.3
Refused (not read) 1.0
Net Agreement -35.6
Q24. Now that you’ve heard more information, thinking about how the City of San Diego should
handle the issue of medical marijuana dispensaries, do you think the city should . . .
%
Pass laws to ban them 9.5
Strictly control them by heavily regulating them 42.4
Moderately control them by placing few regulations on them 27.5
Not place any regulations on them 3.1
Or do you not have enough information at this time 16.4
Unsure (not read) 1.1
I would like to ask you about your use of marijuana. Please remember that all your answers will
absolutely be kept strictly confidential.
Q25. Have you ever tried, even once, marijuana?
%
Yes 44.9
No 53.9
Refused (not read) 1.2
October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 8
Q26. What is your best estimate of the number of days you used marijuana during the past year?
(Of those who have tried marijuana, n=213)
%
None 72.4
1-7 9.8
8-30 4.5
31-60 2.3
>60 10.9
Q27. Do you use marijuana for medical purposes? (Of those who have used marijuana in the last
year, n=51)
%
Yes 42.7
No 57.3
Q28. Some people have a prescription for their medical marijuana and some do not. How about
you? (Asked of medical marijuana users, n=22)
%
Yes 33.5
No 66.5
Q29. Do you obtain your medical marijuana from . . . (Asked of medical marijuana users, n=22)
%
Medical marijuana dispensaries 16.7
Door-to-door mobile delivery services or 13.6
Some other way 65.0
Both (not read) 4.6
Q30. About how many miles do you travel to obtain your medical marijuana? (Asked of medical
marijuana users who do not have medical marijuana delivered, n=19)
%
0 8.1
1 29.1
2-5 15.1
6-10 6.2
11-15 12.0
16+ 20.0
Unsure 9.6
Q31. Do you have a friend or family member who uses marijuana?
%
Yes 41.0
No 57.1
Refused (not read) 1.9
October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 9
Q32. Do you have a friend or family member who uses marijuana for medical purposes? (Asked of
those who have a friend or family member who uses marijuana, n=202)
%
Yes 46.0
No 52.1
Refused (not read) 1.9
Thanks. Now I have just a few demographic questions to make sure we have a representative sample .
. .
Q33. Do you have access to a computer with internet service?
%
Yes 80.5
No 18.7
Refused (not read) 0.8
Q34. What is the last level of education you have completed?
%
Less than a high school diploma 6.7
High school 15.6
Some college 29.3
College degree 27.2
Advanced degree 20.1
Refused (not read) 1.0
Q35. And when it comes to social issues and politics do you consider yourself to be . . .
%
Very liberal 11.1
Somewhat liberal 38.5
Somewhat conservative 29.0
Very conservative 11.9
Somewhere in between (Not read) 3.7
Unsure (Not read) 3.8
Refused (Not read) 1.9
Q36. How many children under the age of 18 are living in your household?
%
None 63.9
1 11.2
2 16.6
3 4.0
4+ 3.0
Refused (Not read) 1.2
October 2009 SDI Medical Marijuana Topline Results CERC
Page 10
Q37. What is your marital status?
%
Married 50.4
Single, never married 28.9
Divorced 11.3
Widowed 7.4
Refused (Not read) 2.0
Q38. And is your family’s ethnic heritage mainly . . .
%
White 50.8
Hispanic 16.7
Asian 6.4
African-American 4.7
Native-American 0.2
Is it mixed race 16.8
Something else 2.1
Refused (Not read) 2.3
Q39. And please stop me when I reach the category closest to your household’s total annual
income…
%
Less than $20,000 13.6
$20 to 40,000 19.3
$40 to 60,000 15.9
$60 to 80,000 12.3
$80 to 100,000 9.1
$100 to $150,000 9.6
More than $150,000 8.5
Refused (Not read) 11.5
Thanks for your time and your opinion counts, goodbye.
40. GENDER (BY OBSERVATION)
%
Male 49.1
Female 50.9
41. LANGUAGE
%
English 92.3
Spanish 7.7

[kmk420kali]

Too bad none of them ppl (seem) to Vote!!

Originally Posted by kmk420kali

Too bad none of them ppl (seem) to Vote!!

Huh, the only time I got to vote on anything pertaining to MMJ was way back in 1996.

If you mean vote out dumanis, Bill Horn, etc then yeah it's confusing isn't it?

[kmk420kali]

Originally Posted by Blue Dot

If you mean vote out dumanis, Bill Horn, etc then yeah it's confusing isn't it?

Yeah...that's the one-- Vote them out, or STFU--
Simple, huh?? Kinda like making MMJ cheap--