| Dawah International, LLC |
A solid majority of voters nationwide favor legalizing and regulating marijuana similar to the way alcohol and tobacco are currently regulated, according to a poll released last week by Rasmussen Reports. Most of those responding don’t believe it should be a crime for people to smoke marijuana in the privacy of their own homes.
The national telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters shows that 56 percent favor legalizing and regulating marijuana in a manner similar to the way alcohol and cigarettes are regulated. Thirty-six percent (36%) are opposed to legalizing and regulating cannabis in such a manner.
“Polling now consistently shows that more voters support legalizing and regulating marijuana than support continuing a failed prohibition approach,” said Neill Franklin, a retired Baltimore narcotics cop who now works with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). “Yet far too many politicians continue to acts as if marijuana policy reform is some dangerous third rail they dare not touch.
| NORML |
| Neill Franklin, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: “[F]ar too many politicians continue to act as if marijuana policy reform is dome dangerous third rail they dare not touch” |
“If the trends in public opinion continue in the direction they are going, the day is not far away when supporting a prohibition system that causes so much crime, violence and corruption is going to be seen as a serious political liability for those seeking support from younger and independent voters,” Franklin told Toke of the Town.
“Savvy, forward-looking politicians are already beginning to see which way the wind is blowing,” Franklin told us.
The survey was conducted on May 12 by Rasmussen Reports.
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.
To see the survey question wording, click here.
