Pubdate: Sun, 03 Mar 2013 Source: Times-Standard (Eureka, CA) Copyright: 2013 Times-Standard Contact: http://www.times-standard.com/writeus Website: http://www.times-standard.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051 Authors: Steven Harmon and Grant Scott-Goforth MARIJUANA POLL: CALIFORNIANS' SUPPORT FOR LEGALIZING POT AT RECORD LEVEL; 'PUBLIC OPINION HAS BEEN SHIFTING' Californians support legalizing pot in greater numbers than ever -- and they want the federal government to cool it with the crackdowns on medical marijuana dispensaries. In a Field Poll released Wednesday, California voters, by a margin of 54 percent to 43 percent, supported allowing legal sales of marijuana, as long as restrictions are in place on age, driving under the influence of the drug and licensing those who sell it. That represents the highest level of support since the Field Poll began asking the question 44 years ago, when most California believed pot was the gateway drug to more hurtful substances. Only 13 percent of California adults supported legalizing marijuana in 1969 -- the year of Woodstock. "Now, we're getting to the point where baby boomers have lived with this stuff for most of their lives," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. Humboldt State University sociology professor and member of the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research Josh Meisel said the result doesn't surprise him. "Intuitively, it makes sense to see an upward tick," he said. "Public opinion has been shifting." Two-thirds of 834 registered voters said they opposed the Obama administration's raids on medical marijuana outlets, in which nearly 200 dispensaries -- most in California -- were targeted in President Barack Obama's first term. Local governments have taken cues from the administration: Two hundred cities and counties have banned medical marijuana dispensaries. The state Supreme Court is poised to issue a ruling on whether local governments can shut down dispensaries. Nearly three-fourths -- 72 percent -- of Californians back the state's existing medical marijuana law, approved by voters in 1996. And a strong majority -- 58 percent -- would support allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in their own community. "Certainly, it's a rebuke of the Obama administration's tactics," said Kris Hermes, a spokesman for Oakland-based Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana advocacy group. "It should indicate that the Justice Department's tactics are unacceptable and should be reconsidered." Obama once criticized President George W. Bush for his aggressive approach to shutting down medical marijuana dispensaries. But Obama is on pace to exceed Bush's record of medical marijuana busts. Though voters support medical marijuana, just over two years ago they rejected a ballot measure to legalize pot, Proposition 19, by a 53 to 47 percent margin. Legalization had only narrow support -- 50 to 46 percent -- in a Field Poll four months before that election, and the measure's chances for success were derailed by what political analysts called a lackluster campaign and a vague regulatory plan. Proposition 19, a 2010 initiative to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana cultivation and sales in California failed when it garnered only 46.5 percent of the vote that year. Humboldt County's population centers were fairly unequivocal in their rejection of the legalization initiative, with two notable exceptions. In Eureka, 52.8 percent of voters opposed the measure. That number jumped to 59.2 percent in the Willow Creek and Hoopa area, 62.9 percent in Fortuna and a whopping 65 percent in Southern Humboldt. The vote was closer in McKinleyville, where 51 percent of voters opposed the measure. The anomalies came in Arcata, where Proposition 19 won nearly every precinct and was supported by more than 57 percent of voters, and Trinidad, where 58 percent of voters favored the measure. While Humboldt County is considered "marijuana friendly," HSU politics professor Kathleen Lee said in 2010 that voters likely rejected it because they didn't believe in legalization, didn't like the wording of the initiative or worried the proposition would deflate market prices that have long been held up by marijuana's illegality. It's unclear if the attitude has changed since 2010. The Field Poll cites 52 percent approval of legalization in its "Other Northern California" polling region, but indicates that number came from a small sample base. Anthony Silvaggio, another HSU sociology professor and member of the institute, agreed the Proposition 19 campaign was flawed, though the failed initiative gave Colorado and Washington insight into writing successful legislation and tapped into a "general distrust of the federal government." Silvaggio said increasing support among Californians could likely be attributed to the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington. "California and Oregon were the most likely states that many social scientists thought would be the 'first' to legalize marijuana," Silvaggio wrote in an email. "I would have to say that the bump could be partly attributed to the fact that Washington and Colorado were the first to legalize, and Californians (even the staunchest of conservatives) never like being left behind regarding cultural issues like this." A coalition of Proposition 19 supporters met in December to discuss potential future California ballot measures. They've said that they're targeting the 2016 presidential election ballot, though they haven't ruled out putting it on the ballot in 2014. A younger and more tolerant electorate is changing the political landscape. Among voters between the ages of 18 and 29, legalization has a 58-39 edge; among 30- to 39-year-olds, it has a 61-38 percent advantage. Voters 65 or older are the least likely to support legalization, with only 43 percent in favor and 52 percent against. Independent voters most strongly support legalization, at 59 percent, closely followed by Democrats, at 58 percent. Forty-two percent of Republicans favor legalization, a number Meisel said proved telling. "I think it's interesting, looking at the numbers demographically," he said. "Forty-two percent who say they support marijuana legalization is significant." Latinos are just as against it, with only 41 percent in favor. But Latinos between the ages of 18 and 39 support it, 53 to 47 percent. Only 30 percent of Latinos 40 and older support legalization. Voters living in the Bay Area are most likely to support legalizing pot, with 66 percent in favor. Voters along the coast south of Los Angeles County are the least likely, at 47 percent. The poll, taken Feb. 5 to 17, has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. On the web: The full results of the Field Poll can be viewed online at http://field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers. Visit the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research at www.humboldt.edu/hiimr - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom