Nine out of ten Connecticut voters support legalizing the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, and a majority support allowing adults to possess the plant for any purpose, according to the results of a statewide Quinnipiac University poll, released today.
Fifty-two percent of voters support allowing adults “to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use.” Forty-five percent of respondents opposed the idea.
Independents (61 percent), Democrats (52 percent), and men (54 percent) were most likely to endorse legalization, while women (49 percent) and Republicans (38 percent) were least supportive
When asked whether patients ought to be able to access cannabis for medicinal purposes, public support rose to 90 percent. State lawmakers authorized physicians to recommend cannabis therapy in 2012. However, although some 2,000 Connecticut patients are now authorized to use medicinal cannabis, no state-licensed dispensaries are presently operational.
According to the poll, 47 percent of Connecticut voters — including 62 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 29 — acknowledge having tried marijuana.
By a margin of nearly 2 to 1, respondents said that alcohol is “more harmful to society” than cannabis.
The poll’s findings are similar to those of recent statewide surveys, including those from Florida, Hawaii, and New York.
Commenting on the poll, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “The most remarkable thing about these results is that they are no longer remarkable.”
The Quinnipiac survey possesses a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points.
Lets goo
It would be so nice if our government would start representing US… The United States of America. I’m not sure who these guys work for.
We “liberated” Iraq so Russia could get oil. We use terrorist weapons like cluster bombs and drones; which encourages Al-Qaeda recruitment in a never ending cycle of Terrorism. We literally live in the Age of Terrorism all thanks go to the fascist/neocon morons.
They terrorize our cities with gangs made up of illegal immigrants selling hard drugs to our kids. Teaching them how to be pieces of shit for life. They don’t want the gangsters to not be able to get guns. Every good law gets voted down. But they pass bogus vote ID laws to protect themselves from getting voted out of office. Nice fucking people.
I wonder if the majority of voters in any state would prefer to keep marijuana illegal. As far as I can tell, the only majority wanting such are our political leaders and most of us think they should be thrown out.
Connecticut people party just as hard as they work. Day after day commuting to Manhattan and back on the train, or sitting in traffic on the Merit or I95 takes the life out of you. Sure a brownie or hit from a vaporizer will make that monotonous life a little more livable.
But as Julian pointed out in an earlier blog article be prepared for more prohibitionist “GORE FILES”. We need to get all the details first and ask about the events that led up to the crime. I’ll bet there is a whole lot more to the story than marijuana.
We also need to remember that the reason marijuana prohibition does not work is because it is based on racial intolerance not science.
@NORML-I’m curious if the arrest rates of Eskiomo’s, American Indians, Mexicans, Latinos, and Polynesians are just as disproportionate to whites in state’s like Alaska, South Dakota, Texas, Florida, and Hawaii respectfully.
@Miles – If there is any state in which the voters would prefer to keep marijuana illegal, I would suggest the prohibitionists all move there and leave the rest of the country in peace. Indeed, I wish they would just leave the country since most of us believe in freedom and the American way.
“We also need to remember that the reason marijuana prohibition does not work is because it is based on racial intolerance not science.”
If that were the case, there wouldn’t be any white people arrested or harassed for having or using marijuana. The issue at the heart of this subject is too many of our rulers have personality disorders:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/personality-disorders/basics/definition/CON-20030111
Narcissism is a big problem in both the Demoncrates and Rebublican Parties. Part of narcissism is believing you’re right when you’re wrong. People with these disorders keep doing things the wrong ways. Like insisting the Drug War is a good idea. There is a reason the War on Drugs does not work. It was conceived by people looking to shit on US, not build US up. Racism is just the tip of their iceberg; one of their “selling points” for like minded assholes in the general population.
In fact, this is one of the reason we can’t broker peace in the Middle East. Our leaders are just too fucking stupid not to promote like minded narcissists for office once the war is finished. Why did way start in the first place? Narcissists with their egos on the line. How to ensure the problems never get solved making endless war? Promote even more narcissists. Just look at what happened in Afghanistan. We killed the enemy and then made more with our western corruption.
“The most remarkable thing about these results is that they are no longer remarkable.”
As we said in my day, right on!
Another report that talks about possessing ‘small amounts’ – I have never understood the significance of ‘small amounts’. Is it somehow less harmful than large amounts ?
Small amounts of course does not mean you are not selling it (it is common practice for some dealers to possess only the quantity they are delivering to the next customer). Small amounts also means people need to return to the place they purchased it more often to stock up. It does not mean that people will consume less either. It is just another antiquated phrase that we have kept to appease the prohibitionists.
Also @MIles makes a good point about turning the question around and asking another representative sample of people if they think cannabis should be kept illegal or should penalties increase – you could also ask if people think the current laws actually work and offer value for money (an approval rating for prohibition). It will not necessarily be the same proportions as when you ask if it should be legalised.
@phrtao – Very good reasoning!
Some east coast state is going to have to legalize recreational, and even if a single shop never is licensed and opens, that’s the end of cannabis prohibition. No license necessary, no databank, no tracking, no state prosecutions, only local if any, some other east coast state is going to “oneupsman” it and actually will license and collect taxes.
The police like to use a tactic to intimidate people were they are talking to you. They get you to say something defensive and then accuse you of lying to them. They say they take offense to it. They say things like, “Well I don’t have a problem with people smoking or using small amounts of marijuana. So if you give me what you got, I’ll let you go. It would be different if it is a larger amount you’re dealing.”
Right there, the officer is lying to you. At that point in the conversation you turn the tables and ask the pig, “Well, if you don’t have a problem with people possesing small amount, you can’t have a problem with dealers either. After all, where is the bud you ‘don’t have a problem with’ coming from if not from “dealers or growers”????
They are lying to your face, and you need to call them on it. It does put some of them back into “normal human-mode” because you called them on their bullshit, they can’t trick you. They just got done explaining how they will hold it against you if you lie to them, and them they immediately lie to you. Call them on it, right there. The more you act like a victim or “guilty” the more they will try to take a bite like sharks smelling blood in the water. They like easy prey.
@phrtao, interesting that you say that,because with hard alcohol, its actually the Inverse,buying amounts of 375 ML or less is actually discouraged in large chain stores or supermarkets,where only fifths or half -gallons are sold.Innocent children are walking down the aisles just feet away from enough half-gallons of gin or vodka that could potentially put everyone in the store into an alcohol- induced- coma.
While medical cannabis dispensaries are required to be 6000 feet from a school yard,despite having Armed security and iron enforced doors and windows.”Prohibition psychosis”, and “magical thinking”,are definitely playing a part here.
“@phrtao, interesting that you say that,because with hard alcohol, its actually the Inverse,buying amounts of 375 ML or less is actually discouraged in large chain stores or supermarkets,where only fifths or half -gallons are sold.Innocent children are walking down the aisles just feet away from enough half-gallons of gin or vodka that could potentially put everyone in the store into an alcohol- induced- coma.”
And just look, children aren’t being harmed by being near it. Perhaps their outlook on Alcohol isn’t what it should be, but standing next to thirty gallons of booze isn’t going to harm anyone and standing next to 100 pounds of marijuana also isn’t going to hurt anyone. Which is exactly why having either substance isn’t a crime. Is alcohol more dangerous than marijuana? Yes it is. It is also more addictive than marijuana. Which is why our laws need to reflect that alcohol needs more systems of control than marijuana does.
Cannabis users need to just come out of the closet and demand equal rights. No more of this fear mongering from out so called “elected officials”. Dave is right, what we need to do is call out irrational bullshit. Force them to see how inane their thinking (or lack thereof)is. This kind of repression is ridiculous, and governments have the audacity to claim they support the will of the people (all 300mil+), give me a break. Bullshit.
@Dave Evans-I fall under cluster C but exhibit many traits of various other personality disorders. It looks to me that everyone on this blog has some sort of narsasistic
(Oops… I hit the button by accident)
Narcissistic personality disorder and desire to be heard. And that’s ok.
Don’t forget that the people who make the laws and the people who enforce the laws are not the same. Our government controls the masses with laws, the unfortunate person caught in the web of control is just collateral damage. The numbers don’t lie, people of color are arrested at a disproportionate rate than whites, yet whites use marijuana at the same rate if not more.
http://assets.blog.norml.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-09-at-2.12.19-PM.png
@ Dave Evans,
Dave, I agree with virtually everything you wrote, in all of your posts. I do believe that GOPers are worse than Dems on the MJ issue at least; but there are plenty of rotten Dems too (tho GOPers just usually seem worse).
As far as liberating Iraq, as you noted, that’s a funny one. We just ousted a Sunni, Saddam, under completely false pretenses, in order to grease the skids for the Shia, who answer to Iran. Talk about getting bitten on the ass. And our little invasion–which I’m sure helped put money in the pockets of Cheney and the rest of that rotten bunch–cost us, besides 4,500 dead troops and 100,000 dead Iraqi civilians, maybe a trillion bucks.
Hey brother, but at least on the marijuana front, good things seem to be happening. Keep up the faith my man.
@ Ray,
As entertaining as it may be to watch propaganda unfold that says eating a marijuana brownie will make you slap yourself in the face and jump off a balcony, the extent at which the government’s denial-machine operates makes it very difficult to put the brakes on prohibition. We may know about NIDA and their placebo marijuana from Ol’ Miss, or the DEA’s S.O.D. “parallel” evidence fabrication program, and now asset forfeiture of 250 pounds of hemp seed designated for Kentucky’s Federally approved hemp research program… (God how I hope the DEA is too proud to back down from that mess so we can see it in the Supreme Court after Florida votes in November) …But as I’ve said before, keep in mind that racism is economic. At the back of the mind of any racist perpetrator is the acquisition of property. Behind racist epithets like “Darkies will rape your white women,” Anslinger knew what he was doing back in 1937; Raid the hemp farms, eliminate the supply of sustainable fiber and oil so the price of timber and petrochemicals goes up. The patents, owned by his relatives and benefactors including DuPont and the National Forest Service, now belong to Koch Industries, which floods campaign money into the Republican party.
Nixon knew what he was doing. The executive branch had every intention to allow cops to unconstitutionally write our drug policies. One of the first amendments the DEA added to the Controlled Substances Act when as soon as they were authorized to write drug laws was asset forfeitures. Nixon knew damn well he was taking power from the legislative branch. Thats why he added executive priveledge to the C.S.Act; WHICH EVERY PRESIDENT EVER SINCE HAS USED (Obama; Fast and Furious Scandal, although admittedly I’ll have to research Carter. Was the Iran Contra drug-related?)
Prohibition is U.S. government and U.N. sanctioned organized crime. The end game internationally is to use drug trafficking as an excuse to spend billions on wars to make arms dealers and war-hawks rich. Current Example: Bush started the ongoing war in Afghanistan more than 13 years ago. Having initially had the chance to stop Bin Laden, he allowed him to escape into Pakistan and even ordered the Bin Laden family special permission to leave the country even as his own father’s plane was grounded with the rest of America. (Farenheit 911) We all know Bush Sr. had major oil contracts with the Saudi Royal family and Bin Laden was a royal nephew. So why stay in Afghanistan?
Answer: The CIA was always there, stealing opium from the Taliban to incite conflicts and sell weapons. The CIA sold stinger rockets to the Muhajideen when they fought the Soviets back in the 80 s. Those same stingers were bringing down Huey helicopters full of soldiers for the last decade… Even though we knew Bin Laden was somewhere in Pakistan. Then the DEA got involved and had a CIA agent killed. The press was supressed and Americans are still scratching their heads at wny N.A.T.O. was blocking roads while “Afghan police” were “eradicating” poppy conveniently around harvest time. Then the cycle begins again next harvest. All for a schedule 1 substance called heroin.
Today, there is more opium exported out of Afghanistan than when the war began. (See Frontline’s “Behind Taliban Lines” and “War on Terror”)
The irony? If we truly wanted to stop the war in Afghanistan we could have replaced the poppy fields with industrial hemp, which would have replaced the opium slums with skilled textile workers and hemp farms. I would have gladly bought an imported, hand-woven Afghan hemp rug. Unfortunately, after 13 years of war, all they have for sale is some Taliban heroin. I think I’ll pass and donate to NORML.
A visit to the enlightened state of colorado will give good answers to questions on patient rights, safe access to medications, well trained personnel that dont insult your attempt at indepedence and dictate your options, and a variety of strains to choose from to perform your own experimentation as to what works and what doesn’t. The healthcare profession has reached a new standard of respect for the patients without disrepecting the well trained leadership certified to experiment on humans for their financial benefit.
@Ray,
“People who make the laws and people who enforce them are not the same.”
That is how our Democracy was designed to work, but thanks to Nixon, it does not. The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 paves the way to create the DEA, an executive agency out of the Justice Department, to write U.S. Drug Policy. (The Attorney General, Eric Holder is our top law enforcer, NOT legislator, and has no business writing drug policy. The scary thing is that’s Boehner’s job!)
Another Nixon flop; The Economic Stability Act of 1970 paves the way for the international corporate lobbyist, who now writes all our laws while Congress, thanks to laws like Citizens United, have become fundraisers that dont even read what they vote for. Congress has to get educated just as much if not more than we do about how our Drug Policy does or does not work, making it even more vital that we take that role as citizens to provide that education.
Another dilemma with Congress, Governors, the FEDs and other representatives is that over the last 40 years of drug wars they wear several hats, and often have stock interest in the drug wars, drug testing Etc. A case example is Dick Cheney, who while acting as Vice President with authority to sign off on covert operations was also the acting chairman for Haliburton, a large oil company that receives large war-clean-up contracts for Iraq and Afghanistan. Conflict of interest would be an understatement; he had a license to create wars for his own profit. This would explain why an ongoing poppy harvest is still occurring in Afghanistan instead of stopping the violence by planting industrial hemp.
This is but one example of why it is SO important we support NORML PAC when they endorse a Congressman who is pro cannabis legalization. It’s not only ignorance that fuels prohibition, or even racism; to people like Cheney, the drug war has not failed at all. It’s working just like the Devil planned it all along.
That’s why the DEA stopped those hemp seeds at the airport in Kentucky. As soon as states start growing a steady, sustainable supply of hemp and place hemp products on the market, we will finally get to vote where it really hurts prohibitionists; with our consumer-friendly mouse icons and wallets. Let’s not forget we give corporations their power every day with what we choose to consume.
The final hour of our battle for legalization has come. It’s time to vote, donate, march, educate, set up a hemp history booth at a local festival or trade show this June 8th,(votehemp.com) write and call your Congressman and inspire others to do the same, travel to support the legal purchase of hemp and marijuana this summer, and let’s all take our part in this American Cannabis Tragedy to own our piece of American Cannabis Freedom… Coming soon to a state near you, brought to you by our friends at NORML, MPP, DPA, LEAP, votehemp, the letter “M” and VIEWERS LIKE YOU!
Connecticut allows up to “14 grams”; now I do not have to lock all my weed up; a big step…I do not worry as much as I did; I live in Conn. the MMJ program is developing.
I got my new computer installed; dell is good
I do not believe the weed of today is more potent that the 80’s etc. I get “poor quality”
I have to go out on a limb to search for weed; and I pay a pretty penny for my weed too
getting free weed would be great…”any seeds?
legalize it and the medical patients don’t NEED prescriptions…if you think the potency is better now than years gone by, you never lived through Columbian Gold, Panama Red, Hawaiian or thai stick, cannnebinol, etc…and you don’t know what you’re talking about..
What I do not understand , Is how alcohol is legal, Just look what it does too the body the liver among other areas of the body, not too mention it can kill a person Now I Ask How can this be legal. Then they talk about marijuana the gate way drug,I don’t think so the gateway drugs are what we as kids grew up with and that is Alcohol and cigarrettes those are your gate way drugs. Another fact is that any event that serves Alcohol there will be all kinds of problems it does not matter were the event that’s place. Fact before alcohol was legal the Gov did not have a big study to ask the people what they thought they just repeat what they had done in the past They knew the risk. Gov just said that did not want to have to deal with alcohol prohibition but let’s be honest