Pubdate: Thu, 12 May 2016
Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL)
Copyright: 2016 Orlando Sentinel
Contact:  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/325
Note: Rarely prints out-of-state LTEs.
Author: Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida

POLL: 80% OF FLORIDIANS SUPPORT POT AMENDMENT

TALLAHASSEE - About six months before Election Day, Florida voters 
overwhelmingly support a broad legalization of medical marijuana but 
are less clear about a critical U.S. Senate race, a new poll shows.

The poll, released on Wednesday by Quinnipiac University, said that 
80 percent of voters support a proposed constitutional amendment that 
would allow medical marijuana for patients with a wide range of 
conditions, such as cancer, AIDS, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's 
disease and multiple sclerosis.

Support for the proposal cuts across political and demographic lines. 
For example, it is supported by 71 percent of Republicans and 87 
percent of Democrats. It is supported by 80 percent of men and 81 
percent of women.

And it is supported by 89 percent of voters ages 18 to 34 and by 79 
percent of voters who are 65 and older.

One caveat is that early polls in 2014 showed wide support for a 
similar ballot proposal to legalize medical marijuana. That 
initiative, however, ultimately fell 2 percentage points short of 
getting the required 60 percent voter approval after facing a barrage 
of negative ads from opponents.

People United for Medical Marijuana, a group that backed the 2014 
initiative, tweaked the wording of this year's proposal to try to 
help inoculate it against political and legal attacks.

But the group will again

need to hit the 60 percent mark to be successful, under part of the 
Constitution setting requirements for ballot initiatives.

The Connecticut-based Quinnipiac frequently conducts polls in Florida 
and other key political states. It released a survey Tuesday that 
showed the presidential race in Florida too close to call between 
Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

The results released Wednesday pointed to an unsettled race for a 
U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Marco Rubio. The race 
could help determine which party controls the Senate after the 
November elections, but the candidates went into the race 
little-known by most Florida voters.

Democrat Patrick Murphy, a congressman from the state's Treasure 
Coast, appeared to do slightly better than the other Senate 
candidates in head-tohead matchups in the poll.

For instance, Murphy led Republican businessman Carlos Beruff by a

margin of 38 percent to 32 percent and led Republican Lt. Gov. Carlos 
LopezCantera by a margin of 38 percent to 34 percent.

He also led Republican businessman Todd Wilcox by a margin of 38 
percent to 33 percent. But Murphy was virtually deadlocked with GOP 
Congressman Ron DeSantis and led Congressman David Jolly by only 3 
percentage points.

Matchups between the other leading Democrat in the race, U.S. Rep. 
Alan Grayson of Orlando, and each of the Republican candidates were 
within the poll's 3-percentage-point margin of error.

"The Florida U.S. Senate race is wide open with none of the seven 
candidates particularly wellknown to voters," Peter Brown, assistant 
director of the Quinnipiac Poll, said in a comments released with the 
poll results.

The poll of 1,051 registered Florida voters was conducted from April 
27 to Sunday.

This year's general election will be held Nov. 8.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom