Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
Measure 80, Oregon's marijuana legalization initiative, continues to trail in the polls as the clock ticks ever closer to Election Day. According to a new poll conducted for The Oregonian and released Tuesday, the measure is losing among likely voters, with 49% opposed and 42% in favor.
It is also the least well-funded. While Colorado and Washington are seeing multi-million dollar legalization campaigns, the big donor money has stayed out of Oregon. The reasons for that include a lack of favorable early polling, the lateness of Measure 80 in making the ballot (it only did so in July), and lingering controversies over the reputation of medical marijuana entrepreneur Paul Stanford, Measure 80's chief proponent. Stanford came up with enough money to get Measure 80 on the ballot, but not enough to finance an advertising campaign.
The latest poll shows Measure 80 with majority support among Democrats (55%), but not independents (41%) or Republicans (23%). It also garners majority support among voters under 35, but not among any other age group. Among voters over 65, who vote heavily, only 30% support Measure 80, while 62% are opposed.
Another key demographic that is dragging the measure down is women. While men split almost evenly on the issue, a majority of women (52%) oppose it, while only 37% support it.
Still, Yes on 80 campaign spokesman Roy Kaufmann told The Oregonian it isn't over yet. Pollsters tend to undercount younger voters who are harder to reach, he said, and older voters may be reluctant to admit they favor voting for "an issue that's still considered by many to be taboo." The campaign "still has work to do, but we're within fighting distance," he said.
The poll was conducted October 25 through 28 by Seattle-based Elway polling and surveyed nearly a thousand likely voters statewide. It has a margin of error of +/- 5%.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Comments
1 week out
One week out and still Holder has not spoken out against the initiatives despite former drug czars urging him to do so. Could it be that the the initiatives are expected to pass and they want to use these three states as a testing ground for the post-prohibition era? I am more interested in these initiatives at this point than the actual presidential election. I feel like exciting history is about to be made on November 6th, and I think Oregon's bill will pass too despite its trailing in the polls.
In reply to 1 week out by Uncle Bob (not verified)
Close election
Might be the closeness of the election is keeping them quiet. They just don't want to offend any potential voters (especially in a swing state like CO). CO and WA might get to legalize marijuana just because it's a close election! lol
Let's get voting!
Come on, Oregon. Put down the bong and pick up a ballot.
then vote YES on measure 80,
then vote YES on measure 80, for health, justice, and prosperty for Oregon!
Facts, Not Controversies
In reply to Facts, Not Controversies by Todd Lewis (not verified)
Given Stanford's apparent reputation/lack of funding
And the relatively radical initiative before the Oregon voters, I'd consider 45% of the vote in Oregon a moral victory and a sign that a less far reaching proposal could pass. And I thank Stanford for his generosity and thank everyone there for their efforts.
As far as Colorado goes, legalization hasn't lost support in the last couple of weeks, like it did in CA in 2010. Two state legalization victories, one of them without noxious provisions, would be sweet, to say the least. And I've got my eyes on Detroit voters too.
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