April 2, 2011 – Legalizing marijuana use has been a debate that waxes and wanes in various political climates but has always remained a hot issue with smoking embers. However, a recent poll finds most Americans support legalizing the drug.

Several states have legalized it for medical purposes and some have considered legalizing it in a broader sense. Three quarters of Americans surveyed said they support legalization of marijuana for medical treatment (74 percent) with almost half saying they strongly support it (48 percent).

However, the Harris Poll conducted in late February also found that a significant amount of Americans say they oppose the legalization of medical marijuana in their state (18 percent), and even fewer–7 percent–said they are not sure what they think about the issue.

Despite widespread approval of cannabis for medical use, lighting up a doobie for recreational purposes is far less agreeable. Two in five supported legalizing marijuana for recreational use in their state (42 percent) and half opposed it (49 percent). Some 7 percent said they were unsure and 2 percent declined to answer.

The results of the poll varied by region. Adults in the East were most supportive of legalizing marijuana for both medical use and recreational use, 80 percent and 50 percent respectively. People in the West were the next most supportive, with 76 percent supporting legalizing medical marijuana and 50 percent saying recreational use was ok.

Some 74 percent of Midwesterners supported medical marijuana legalization, but fewer than two in five okayed it for recreational use (39 percent). Southerners were the least supportive in general with only 69 percent supporting medical marijuana legalization and 34 percent for recreational use.

Marijuana has been legalized for certain medical uses in 15 states, and possession of the drug has been decriminalized in various places. California recently voted on whether or not to legalize it completely. The measure failed to pass.

Differences by Region

Adults in the East are most supportive of legalizing marijuana for both medical use (80%) and recreational use (50%). The West is the next most supportive region-76% support legalizing medical marijuana and 50% say so for recreational marijuana. While three quarters of Midwesterners support medical marijuana legalization (74%), less than two in five say so for recreational use (39%) and Southerners are least supportive of both medical marijuana legalization (69%) and marijuana legalized for recreational use (34%).

Who Should Make the Decision

While most Americans support legalizing medical marijuana, there is no consensus about legalizing marijuana for recreational use and who should decide whether or not to legalize it. A plurality of 44% of adults say it should be a state decision, 40% say it should be a federal decision, and 14% are not at all sure. There again are some regional differences-over half of Westerners (52%) think marijuana legalization should be a state decision compared to fewer in the South (44%), Midwest (42%) and East (38%) who say the same. Easterners are most likely to say it should be a federal decision (47%).

What Would the Result Be

If marijuana was legalized generally, majorities think it would cause an increase in both the number of people who use marijuana (68%) and the amount of marijuana used (68%). However, majorities also think it would increase tax revenue (75%), with 51% saying it would cause a large increase in tax revenue, as well as an increase in the consistency and standardization of marijuana used (59%). Substantial pluralities say that legalizing marijuana generally would cause a decrease in the crime rate (41%) and the amount of money spent on prisons/prisoners (44%).

So What?

Marijuana has been legalized for certain medical uses in 15 states, possession of the drug has been decriminalized in various places, and California recently voted on whether or not to legalize it completely (they voted not to do so). Americans may favor legalizing the drug for medical purposes, but many questions remain unanswered such as: what medical issues warrant the use of marijuana? Where should it be dispensed? Who should regulate production and distribution? Furthermore, some experts believe much more work is needed to ascertain the risks and benefits of marijuana use.

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between February 14 to 21, 2011 among 3,171 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

Source.

PORTLAND – U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. told the state’s first Maine Medical Marijuana Expo on Saturday that current laws against marijuana use are expensive, applied unevenly and ought to be repealed.

“People who make a personal decision to smoke marijuana should not be subject to prosecution,” said Frank, noting that the movement has allies in the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. “This is the kind of fight that’s worth making. It’s winnable.”

The message was well received by an enthusiastic audience of about 100 people, including many vendors set up for the daylong exposition.

The expo included vendors exhibiting the latest in equipment for growing marijuana. Earlier in the day, prominent doctors in the field discussed the therapeutic use of marijuana for a range of debilitating conditions.

State representatives, retired law enforcement and civil libertarians also addressed the group.

Maine approved the use of medical marijuana in 1999, and in 2009 voters approved legalizing dispensaries as one system for giving patients access to the drug.

Frank, a powerful congressional figure on banking and finance issues, said he had been in Ogunquit earlier in the day to celebrate the repeal of the federal ban on gays and lesbians in the military.

The same evolution of attitudes that helped get the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy repealed should help end the prohibition on marijuana, he said.

“The younger people are, the more sensible people are on this issue,” Frank said. “I believe within 10 years we’re going to be able to substantially diminish the criminality of marijuana.”

Police, he said, have much more trouble with a loud group of young men drinking beer than a similarly loud group that has been smoking marijuana.

“Instead of bringing mace, you might bring potato chips,” he said, to much laughter.

The expo was put on by the Maine Medical Marijuana Resource Center and its director, Charles Wynott, a longtime advocate of medical marijuana use.

Wynott has been HIV positive for 23 years and has used marijuana to ease nausea, to help keep his medicine down and to help him eat to keep up his strength.

His group, which serves as an information resource, helps poor patients with terminal illness pay for the state license and get access to treatment, he said.

“I get calls every day from people who say I want to be a patient but I can’t afford to,” he said. “The people I focus on are low-income, terminally ill, the most vulnerable people in our community.

“So many people want to get off the pills and go natural. Cannabis is a great healing medicine,” he said.

The group had planned to have a competition for the “patient’s choice” for the best marijuana but was unable to work out the details, according to its website.

One of the vendors represented was Maine Indoor Garden Supply of Windham. Igor Rakuz described how the company’s LED indoor growing lamp uses NASA-developed science in which wavelengths of light create different chemical compositions within a plant, affecting its color and produce.

Joel Pepin recently opened a store, High Tech Garden Supply, on nearby Rand Road. He said his booth, which included a demonstration tent for growing plants inside, saw a steady stream of interested people, including caregivers, patients and representatives of three dispensaries.

Growing marijuana that meets a patient’s needs is more complicated than growing typical houseplants, but can be more rewarding, he said.

Pepin said he graduated from the University of Maine in 2009 with a finance degree. The ability to grow medical marijuana for four patients has allowed him to make a living, start paying off student loans and help people.

“When I leave my patients’ houses and provide this service, I feel good about it,” he said. By Tim Greenway. Source.