New Poll Finds 65% in Florida Support Initiative to Legalize Medical Cannabis
A new poll released Wednesday from Public Policy Polling has found that 65% of voters in Florida would support a ballot measure legalizing medical 
cannabis; considering they are almost certain to have such a measure on this November’s ballot, these high approval ratings may offer a promising prediction of Florida’s near future.
Participants were asked, “Would you support or oppose a ballot initiative allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes?”, and offered a simple choice: “Support”, “Oppose” or “Not sure”. While 12% responded that they were unsure, a clear majority were in favor: “Though marijuana possession is still criminalized in Florida, voters overwhelmingly support legalizing its use for medical purposes (65/23). Even 50% of Republicans support the medical marijuana initiative, with numbers highest among Independents (77/9)”, according to Public Policy Polling.
Even those who identified as “very conservative”, the group voicing the strongest opposition, polled at just 50% opposed, with 40% in favor and 10% unsure.
United for Care, the organization behind the initiative to legalize medical cannabis in Florida, recently submitted over 1 million signatures to put the measure to a vote this year (with just under 700,000 being required to put the issue to a vote); once validated, the initiative will be secured on this November’s ballot (pending a review by the Supreme Court).
The medical cannabis initiative Floridians may be voting on this year is a constitutional amendment, so it requires a 60% majority – but with months to educate the public and build even more support, 65% in favor this early on bodes well for its chance of passage.
– TheJointBlog
Hector
These are the lowest numbers I’ve seen in any recent news report on the effort to legalize Medical Marijuana in Florida. I’ve seen polls that indicate 70% of Republicans are in favor of the measure, and 82% of registered voters overall support the proposition.
The most important number however is 60% Which is the percentage of voters who actually go to the polls and cast their ballot in favor of the measure in November. Every poll I’ve seen shows that we exceed that threshold in popular opinion… Where we come out in November could be a toss-up. I’ve heard some seriously retarded arguments against the measure on local radio stations… and sadly, there are far too many people who actually believe these arguments. The question is… Will the retarded people drag enough idiots out to vote in opposition to the proposition, or can we properly educate and convince those people that legalization of Medical marijuana is the right thing to do?
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/florida/release-detail?ReleaseID=1979