New Poll Shows Majority of Arizonans Support Ending Cannabis Prohibition
A new poll conducted by the Behavior Research Center’s has found that a majority of those in Arizona support legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes.
According to the Rocky Mountain Poll, 53% of Arizonans support making possession of a small amount of cannabis legal for personal use, with just 39% opposed to the idea. Support outpaced opposition in all three of the geographical areas that were surveyed: 53% to 38% in Maricopa County; 47% to 43% in Pima County; and 58% to 38% in Rural Arizona.
“Arizonans are fed up with the failed policy of marijuana prohibition,” said J.P. Holyoak, chairman of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which is supporting a statewide ballot initiative to end cannabis prohibition in Arizona and replace it with a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol. “They do not think adults should be punished just for consuming a substance that is objectively less harmful than alcohol. It’s time for a more sensible approach, and that’s what our initiative proposes.”
According to a press release sent out by the campaign, they’ve collected more than 15,000 signatures since launching its petition drive three weeks ago. They must gather more than 150,000 valid signatures of registered Arizona voters to qualify the initiative for the November 2016 ballot.
“The poll reflects what we’re finding out on the street while collecting signatures,” Holyoak said. “We’re finding that most voters agree it’s time for a more sensible marijuana policy in Arizona. Even those folks who are still on the fence seem to agree that our current prohibition laws aren’t working.”
The survey also found 83% to be in support of “permitting Arizona universities to conduct research on the medical benefits of marijuana to treat soldiers with post traumatic stress syndrome, children with epilepsy or people with Alzheimer’s disease”. Only 10% of respondents said they oppose this.
The survey of 701 Arizonans was conducted from April 29-May 15 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8%.
– TheJointBlog
D'herrera Tapia
It’s too bad J.P. and the others of the “Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol” are misinformed about how alcohol in Arizona was legislated, not for the concerns of our fellow 18 year old “citizens”, but for more monies from federal highway funds by changing the age limits, required to get funds, in our laws denying 18 yr. olds their say as this law did not less then 17 times, they should have been included as the Arizona Constitution prescribes by “Equal rights, privileges, and immunities to all citizens” Art. 2, sec. 13 and Art. 7, sec. 2 “a citizen is male or female, and of the age of 18”. If 18 year olds were included in the law, more voters would have appreciated the inclusion and a guaranteed passed, but you didn’t and it didn’t.