Hawaii voters overwhelmingly support legalizing and regulating the adult use of cannabis, according to just-released statewide survey data by QMark Research and commissioned by the Hawaii Drug Policy Action Group.
Sixty-six percent of respondents said they endorsed legalizing cannabis, an increase of nine points since pollsters last posed the question in 2012.
Seventy-seven percent of respondents separately said that jail time is an inappropriate sanction for those found to be in violation of the state’s existing marijuana possession laws. Under present law, possessing any amount of cannabis for non-medical purposes in Hawaii is a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Eight-five percent of those polled also backed the establishment of licensed medical cannabis dispensaries. Hawaii lawmakers legalized the possession and cultivation of medicinal cannabis by state-qualified patients in 2000, but did not provide for dispensaries.
Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, Maine, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, DC now have licensed medical cannabis dispensaries up and running. (California dispensaries are not licensed by the state.) Similar dispensary outlets are in the process of opening in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Oregon.
Summaries of various pending bills to liberalize Hawaii’s marijuana policies are available online here and here.
The QMark poll possesses a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percentage points.
For those keeping score, recent statewide polls in Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Texas all show majority support for legalizing the adult consumption of cannabis.
Devemos avançar nos estudos e diálogos da CANNABIS e seu uso medicinal com responsabilidade, assim como outras drogas lícitas pra dor ou febre.
You really have to wonder what in the hell is wrong with our Congress. They seem completely clueless on this subject! Well, it’s either that or they are well paid to maintain the status quo no matter what is good for the country or what the people of this country want…
I know that there are a few good congressmen and women out there, but as a whole, they are as miserable a failure as I can possibly imagine!
I wonder what it will take to get them to finally do the right thing… Actually, I’m way past being tired of waiting. We need to get rid of about 95% of those baboons.
This is great news, legalization initiatives are sweeping the nation!
@ Aldemar,
El enmienda de cañamo aseguró el progrésso de diálogo y reforma legal de cannabis en los Estados Unidos. Es importante que todas las países de latino America siguen diálogos con el O.A.S. para reformar las leyes archaichos de los Naciones Unidas. Saludos al presidente de Uruguay por defender las críticas del los Naciones Unidas, comparando reformas en Colorado y Washington que pasaron sin crítica.
Europa tiene que seguir diálogo en la Hague y Suiza.
Pero mientras que estamos platicando por un blog de Hawaii, porque no podemos legalizar el estado para invitar la communidad internacional a Honolulu para estabilizar nuevas leyes internacionales sobre reforma legal de las drogas?
Huh this is a poll not legalization attempt
Holding a summit in Hawaii for the international community to write new guidelines for crafting new laws allowing legalization is a fantastic idea. That means the Fat Cats from the UN, you know, like Vienna have to be there, too. So are you looking at this winter already, like next month, or do you have to give everyone a year notice, making the date some time winter of 14-15? Not Hawaii then and sooner than that, much sooner, and wherever. Den Haag, Bern?
Jees,what is it going to take to wake up congress? 66% percent is not good enough? how about 77%.. still not? i guess when 1% percent own and control the 99 percent it does not matter.
Still have visions of high quality- cannabis plants, growing in the lower latitudes,in the tropical sun,full view, in the same way that rows of pineapple or sugarcane plants can.Ready for consumer access in a direct and honest manner,without interference from naughty,violent-homosaphiens(with technologies they bought but did not necessarily create) interfering, and getting in the way of progress.
@Fed-Up – Me thinks that one qualification, besides being a good liar, is to have an IQ no higher than 80! It riles me to have such a stupid (yet arrogant) bunch in such high positions of power.
I know that there are a few Republicans and a few Democrats that are beginning to understand the idiocy of the marijuana laws. As far as I can tell it seems that there are a lot more Democrats that are coming around on this issue. For that, I applaud them. However, we all need to take a look at each and every candidate, regardless of their party, and as a huge group, refuse to vote for anyone who wants to continue this destructive prohibition!
drug testing doesn’t discriminate against legal drugs either. companies are nicotine testing, the legal status means little, especially if you return from vacation to a job.