Data from Quinnipiac

It is worth remembering that the exact same dynamic holds true for marijuana legalization, even though its inevitability is not discussed as much. For years the polling on same-sex marriage has almost mirrored that for marijuana legalization. Both are subject to the same generational divide that makes eventual success inevitable as the opposition slowly dies off.

Back in December Quinnipiac ask about marijuana legalization and same-sex marriage in the same poll. As you can see, the demographic breakdown was nearly identical.

It is not just coincidence that last year Washington State was one of the first states where voters approved same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization. Both were approved by similar margins, 53.7 percent yes for marriage and 55.7 percent yes for marijuana.

Registered voters in Ohio are evenly split on the issue of marijuana legalization. According to a new Quinnipiac poll, 47 percent of voters think the use of marijuana should be made legal in Ohio, while 47 percent think it should remain illegal, and the remaining 6 percent undecided.

This means Ohio is only slightly less supportive of legalization than the country is as a whole. Qunnipiac’s national poll from earlier this month found 51 percent American voters think marijuana should be legal.

The good news, looking at the crosstabs of the Ohio poll, is that it is likely only matter of time before there is a clear majority for legalization in the state. There is currently a huge generational divide on legalization among Ohio voters. Those under the age of 30 overwhelming support ending marijuana prohibition, with 65 percent backing legalization and 29 percent opposed. By comparison voters over the age of 65 overwhelmingly want cannabis to remain prohibited. Only a quarter of seniors think marijuana should be made legal, while 68 percent think it should remain illegal. The simple fact is that those who oppose legalization in Ohio are dying off and they are being replaced by a young generation who strongly backs marijuana reform.

Given how quickly opinions about marijuana have changed nationally over the past two decades, it is likely that in only a few years a solid majority of voters in Ohio will back legalization. It is conceivable that as early as the 2016 election there could be an Ohio electorate willing to approve a marijuana legalization ballot initiative.

Photo by North Cascades National Park under Creative Commons License

New York Sate Capitol, Albany

The voters of New York State want to see marijuana legalized. A new Quinnipiac poll of the state found that 51 percent of New York registered voters think the use of marijuana should be made legal in their state. On the other hand, only 44 percent of voters in the state think marijuana should remain illegal.

As with all polling about marijuana, there is a large partisan and generational divide. Democrats and Independents strongly support legalizing marijuana in their state, while Republicans oppose the move by nearly a two-to-one margin. The poll also found that senior citizens are the only age group that opposes legalization. A significant majority of all voters under 65 think pot should be legalized. This means the long term support for legalization is almost guaranteed to grow

Opinions about marijuana reform in New York State near perfectly match opinions nationally. In their national poll earlier this month, Quinnipiac found that across the entire country 51 percent of American voters think marijuana should be legal and 44 think it should be illegal.

Unfortunately, since New York State law doesn’t allow for citizen’s initiatives, the only way marijuana will be legalized is if the state legislature decides to change the law. All indications are that it will be awhile before the legislature listens to their constituents on this issue.

The state legislature still hasn’t approved a medical marijuana law or reduced the penalties for possession in “plain sight.” Both changes should be political no-brainers at this point, given that the electorate wants go significantly further on the issue of marijuana policy reform. Hopefully, this new poll will at least encourage the legislature to take those smaller steps in the coming year.

Photo by wallyg under Creative Commons license.

A new survey by Quinnipiac is the latest in a string of recent polls to find that a majority of American voters think marijuana should be legal. According to Quinnipiac, 51 percent of Americans think marijuana should be legal while 44 percent think it should remain illegal.

The poll found that that men overwhelmingly support marijuana legalization, 59% to 36%, but women remain narrowly opposed, 43% to 52%.

Not surprisingly the biggest divide existed on partisan and generational lines.  Marijuana legalization is supported by 58 percent of Democrats and Independents but by only 31 percent of Republicans.

The survey also found that the younger a voter is, the more likely he or she is to support legalization. A solid majority of voters under the age of 45 think marijuana should be legal with voters under the age of 30 supporting legalization by a greater than two-to-one margin. On the other hand, senior citizens are the only age group where a majority want marijuana to remain illegal.

This is the fourth national poll about marijuana legalization released in the last week. Both the surveys from Angus Reid and Public Policy Polling found majority support for marijuana legalization, while the CBS News poll found Americans evenly split 47%-47% on the issue. Based on all the recent polling it is clear that a majority of the country now no longer supports marijuana prohibition and that support for legalization is likely to continue to grow.

            Tot    Rep    Dem    Ind    Men    Wom    Lib    Mod    Con
Good idea   68%    51%    75%    71%    69%    67%    82%    72%    51%
Bad idea    27     46     21     23     28     27     14     23     46
DK/NA       4      2      5      5      3      6      3      5      4

Medical marijuana enjoys remarkably broad support in this poll. Every partisan group, age group, income bracket and ideology thinks the bill is a good idea. Even a majority of conservatives and people over 65 think it would be a good idea for the state to legalize medical marijuana, and they are the two groups that tend to be most hostile to any kind of marijuana reform.

I hope these strong poll numbers convince the state legislature to act quickly on HB 5389, the Medical marijuana bill currently pending before the state General Assembly.

In 2007 the legislature passed a medical marijuana bill only to have it vetoed by then Republican governor Mary Jodi Rell. This year, though, Democratic governor Dannel Malloy is expected to sign such a bill if it reaches his desk. Malloy has been relatively supportive of marijuana reforms since taking office.

Leaf (photo: Federacion de asociaciones cannabicas)

Earlier this month, both the Connecticut State Senate and House of Representatives approved SB 1014, a bill that would decriminalize minor possession of marijuana. Now newly released Quinnipiac polling taken immediately after the state legislature approved the bill shows the voters of the state overwhelmingly support the move by a margin of two-to-one. From Quinnipiac:

Voters also support 66 – 31 percent a law to de-criminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Support is 77 – 21 percent among Democrats, 49 – 45 percent among Republicans and 66 – 31 percent among independent voters. Support is slightly stronger among men, 69 – 28 percent, than among women, 64 – 33 percent.

There is a clear message in this poll for local and national politicians all across the country: Decriminalizing marijuana is not controversial.

Most American people support reducing the penalties for minor marijuana infractions. The American people don’t think harsh punishments for possessing a small amount of marijuana is either good policy or a smart use of government resources.

If politicians pass more sensible laws, the public will support it.

There is a proposal in the state legislature that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Low-level marijuana users would be punished with a fine, instead of a criminal charge. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea?

65% good idea
32 Bad idea
3 DK/NA

There is a proposal in the state legislature that would allow adults to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if their doctor prescribes it. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea?

79% good idea
17 Bad idea
3 DK/NA

While support for both medical marijuana and decriminalization was strongest among young people, and Democratic support for the changes was remarkably strong across the board, a majority of Republicans, Independents, and every age group in the poll thought the legal changes would be a good idea.

This poll should be a helpful boost to Governor Dan Malloy (D), who is actively pushing both to legalize medical marijuana and reduce the penalty for minor cannabis possession to a small fine. With a state legislature also controlled by Democrats, there is a good chance both reforms will happen during Malloy’s first term.

Unfortunately, Quinnipiac didn’t ask voters how they felt about actually legalizing and regulating marijuana, but given the strong support for decriminalization and the overall national trend on legalization, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was already majority support for such a move in Connecticut.