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Survey USA Poll Gives California Marijuana Initiative Ten Point Lead

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #645)
Drug War Issues

Support for Proposition 19, California's Tax and Regulate Cannabis marijuana legalization initiative is at 50% in the latest Survey USA poll, which was released today. The figure is unchanged from last month's Survey USA poll.

Some 40% of respondents opposed the initiative, which would allow Californians 21 or over to possess up to an ounce of weed and to grow up to 25 square feet worth. The initiative would also give counties and municipalities the local option of permitting, taxing, and regulating marijuana sales and cultivation.

Survey USA contacted 1,000 adult Californians, found 837 of them registered to vote, and polled 602 of them it considered most likely to vote. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.1%

This poll is in line with other recent polls, including one we reported on earlier this week that had support for a general marijuana legalization question at 51%. Like other recent telephone polls, today's Survey USA poll shows higher levels of support for legalization than the face-to-face polls, suggesting that some potential voters are reluctant to say they support a controversial idea like legalization, but may do so in the privacy of the voting booth.

Support for Prop 19 was stronger among men (55%) than women (45%), stronger among people under 50 (55%) than over (45%), and stronger among Democrats (60%) and independents (53%) than Republicans (36%). Prop 19 garnered majority support from blacks (54%) and whites (51%), but not Hispanics (45%) or Asians (44%).

Not particularly surprisingly, support for legalization correlates with support for liberal positions on other social issues. More than three-quarters (76%) of people who described themselves as liberals supported Prop 19, while only 27% of conservatives did. Nearly two-thirds of people who oppose the Tea Party (64%) and support abortion rights (65%) said they would vote for Prop 19. But the measure also won majority support from both gun owners (54%) and non-gun owners (51%).

Geographically, the poll showed the strongest support for Prop 19 in the Greater Los Angeles area (56%) and the San Francisco Bay area (53%). Support dropped under 50% in the Central Valley (45%) and in inland Southern California (38%).

Most of the polls so far have shown Prop 19 leading, but having a tough time getting over the 50% mark. Still, that suggests that Prop 19 can get to that magical 50% plus one by winning over even a very small percentage of undecided voters -- so long as it can keep the voters that it has and get them to the polls.

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

maxw22d (not verified)

1.  There is a 2-layer system of social pressure bearing down upon young families in the US and doubtless worldwide: the mother is expected by peers and elders to police her husband into keeping his "nose clean" and buttkissing the boss (that's slave language for bought-us) to bring home a big paycheck to feed and dress the children presentably, and to zealously protect the children against "drugs" (which means whatever the ideologically permanized elders think it does), and the husband is somewhat freer to leave this up to her while concentrating on the money.  This could explain why women are more than men scared about scary skunkweed or whatever.

 

The Republican Party is paid by its sponsors, Big 2WackGo, to train its voters to oppose cannabis legalization which is doomsday for the hot burning overdose niggotine $igarette format and all the agri-ecocide, manufacturing and sales machinery which the big Corps now have in place, a $400 billion "jobs program" worldwide for those whose conscience permits them to participate in the 6,000,000/year genocide system.  Please try to understand this, it's a little complex (imagine Glenn Beck talking, he does a good job of explaining complex stuff like this).  Modern high-THC skunkweed gets the job done with 1-2 little 25-mg. tokes in a one-hitter or portable vaporizer, so what happens to the Big Profit 700-mg. Filter $igarette if 10 million cannabis users can exhibit and use their Minidosage Management equipment openly, and significant numbers of the 40 million $igarette addicts learn to imitate that and wind up buying 1/14th as much tobackgo in a day or year as they now do??

Accordingly Big 2WackGo feeds more campaign money to incumbents than challengers and, significantly, twice as much to Republicans as to Democrats!  A recent story on "popular left wing blogsite Alternet" (I'm quoting that from some right wing blogsite) noted that would-be Speaker John Boehner has "a close associate" named John Fish who is described as "an in-house lobbyist for R. J. Reynolds".  I might agree with Republicans on some issues but you can see who's going to be even more in charge in the USA than they now are if the Repubs get a majority in the next election!

 

So until anything changes, yes, vote yes on 19 and YES vote against any Republican this year.

Thu, 08/12/2010 - 10:30pm Permalink
Anonymous17 (not verified)

In reply to by maxw22d (not verified)

Max - you're bullshit stinks, so lets cut the crap. I AM one of these people who identifies with the so-called 'bigoted, intolerant, greedy' Christian Right. I'm sick and tired of people like YOU screaming 'intolerance' while you fail to tolerate my point of view.

I'm all for an end to prohibition. I even support the less popular and more radical 'decriminalization' and reclassification movement for all Schedule I - V substances. Everything that has been said by the pro-legalization side is absolutely, unequivocally correct; absolute fact. Historically we find plenty of evidence to illustrate that this is an improper initiative. If this is truly viewed as a root problem or the root of a social issue drug 'abusers' should be treated and not incarcerated. The taxes along with the saved Dept of Corrections overhead could put a million kids through college.

None of these issues is partisan. And you demonstrate the exact behavior which you cry out against. Your myopia, hypocrisy and sense of irony are truly all amazing if not baffling. You are in need of some introspection; realignment.

I wouldnt have said a word today had you not posted. This is too important an issue to allow your disinformation to go unscrutinized.

Thu, 08/19/2010 - 4:44pm Permalink
Charlie (not verified)

Of course, two months is an eternity in politics, but it's looking good for our side.  Richard Lee has a lot of balls to do this while the other major reform groups are holding out til 2012, so he will get all my reform donations this year.  I'm tired of our government and "anti-drug" groups like DARE acting like advocates for the alcohol industry while cracking down on people using a far safer substance.  Lets get this done.  http://www.taxcannabis.org/

Fri, 08/13/2010 - 3:57am Permalink
malcolmkyle (not verified)

Based on the unalterable proviso that drug use is essentially an unstoppable and ongoing human behavior which has been with us since the dawn of time, any serious reading on the subject of past attempts at any form of drug prohibition would point most normal thinking people in the direction of sensible regulation.

By its very nature, prohibition cannot fail but create a vast increase in criminal activity, and rather than preventing society from descending into anarchy, it actually fosters an anarchic business model - the international Drug Trade. Any decisions concerning quality, quantity, distribution and availability are then left in the hands of unregulated, anonymous and ruthless drug dealers, who are interested only in the huge profits involved. Thus, the allure of this reliably and lucrative industry, with it's enormous income potential that consistently outweighs the risks associated with the illegal operations that such a trade entails, will remain with us until we are collectively forced to admit the obvious.

A great many of us are slowly but surely wising up to the fact that the best avenue towards realistically dealing with drug use and addiction is through proper regulation which is what we already do with alcohol & tobacco, clearly two of our most dangerous mood altering substances. But for those of you whose ignorant and irrational minds traverse a fantasy plane of existence, you will no doubt remain sorely upset with any type of solution that does not seem to lead to your absurd and unattainable utopia of a drug free society.

There is therefore an irrefutable connection between drug prohibition and the crime, corruption, disease and death it causes. Anybody 'halfway bright', and who's not psychologically challenged, should be capable of understanding that it is not simply the demand for drugs that creates the mayhem, it is our refusal to allow legal businesses to meet that demand. If you are not capable of understanding this connection then maybe you're using something far stronger than the rest of us. So put away your pipe, lock yourself away in a small room with some tinned soup and water, and try to crawl back into reality A.S.A.P.

Because Drug cartels will always have an endless supply of ready cash for wages, bribery and equipment, no amount of tax money, police powers, weaponry, wishful thinking or pseudo-science will make our streets safe again. Only an end to prohibition can do that! How much longer are you willing to foolishly risk your own survival by continuing to ignore the obvious, historically confirmed solution?

If you support the Kool-Aid mass suicide cult of prohibition, and erroneously believe that you can win a war without logic and practical solutions, then prepare yourself for even more death, tortured corpses, corruption, terrorism, sickness, imprisonment, economic tribulation, unemployment and the complete loss of the rule of law.

"A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded."
Abraham Lincoln

The only thing prohibition successfully does is prohibit regulation & taxation while turning even our schools and prisons into black markets for drugs. Regulation would mean the opposite!

Fri, 08/13/2010 - 6:22am Permalink
Carl Darby (not verified)

In reply to by malcolmkyle (not verified)

Thank you for pointing out the one positive thing that prohibition does. It successfully prevents the taxation of marijuana and other "illicit" substances.

Regulation can still occur in a decriminalization model. Liability issues could finally be resolved in courts.

The idea though of throwing huge amounts of money currently circulating in the alternative economy into the coffers of our current criminal State riddled as it is with malfeasance, is not only an EXTREMELY bad idea, it could be economically devastating to the on-the-books economy which is perilously teetering on the edge of the precipice.

Now is not the time to subvert the alternative economy. A more sensible approach is to move forward with a strict decriminalization model.

Thu, 08/19/2010 - 7:00pm Permalink
Kirko (not verified)

A Religious Perspective

Cannabis is Go-'s gift to mankind.

It is our religious right and Go- given at that, to grow and have all plants - FREE of charge.

I am a well studied Messianic Christian, and believe me the Word Of Go- says that all plants are given to man to consume. It is the pharmacy medicine that is condemned in the books of our ancient guides. Oatmeal for example: what if doctors put patients with high colesterol on a oatmeal regiment instead of a chemical regiment? Don't you think that the oatmeal would be a better medical decision than going right on to the drugs? Just look at all those commercials on tv, where so many have to sue after permanent damage.

To the one blogger that was paranoid; as soon as it becomes legal, your paranoia will subside.

"Heal with Herbs and pursue your happiness - obey Go- and be saved

Sat, 08/14/2010 - 9:03am Permalink
Bearzerker (not verified)

...interesting stats that would tend to imply there are more Hispanic and Asian growers then we know... [when you consider people vote in self interest]
"...Prop 19 garnered majority support from blacks (54%) and whites (51%), but not Hispanics (45%) or Asians (44%)..."

putsonevilhat<---"... and shows us all that democracy in some if not all circumstances does not work,and proves its better to be ruled by one tyrant 3000 miles away then by 3000 tyrants one mile away..."--->takesoffevilhat.

I'll take "good order and governance" for 500 Alex.

Prohibition is so obvious, why would anybody think not to end it... It's just another insane law made possible by the tea partying "Party of No"[circa 1920] & with enough politically biased Judges on board to make a bad social policy decision ...legal... isn't Google fun...
Tue, 08/24/2010 - 7:29pm Permalink
Jack Slater (not verified)

When this heats up nearing November, pro prop 19 commercials need to be focusing on this as a vote against supplying drug cartels with 60% of their black market revenue. Furthermore they need to focus on how prop 19 will reduce state spending by not incarcerating recreational marijuana users while decreasing our extremely overpopulated  prison system. Weed may or may not be a gateway drug for some but IT IS A GATEWAY ARREST for changing a non criminal pot smoker into an actual criminal when he or she is mixed with real criminals. As a side note, a very big concern of mine is out of state money flooding into our state by some conservative organizations to defeat Prop 19. They just don't get it!

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 5:02pm Permalink

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