A California ballot initiative (Proposition 215) that would permit patients who have the approval of a licensed physician to use marijuana for medical purposes received a strong vote of confidence from the results of a recent poll conducted by the Orange County Register. Responding to the question: “Do you think marijuana should be legalized for medicinal use?” readers answered “yes” by nearly a three to one margin. In all, over 1,100 Californians participated in the poll, with 73 percent responding that they approved of the use of medical marijuana.
“The results of the Orange County Register poll are quite significant because of the widely acknowledged conservative political slant of the paper’s readership,” announced NORML Deputy Director Allen St. Pierre. “These findings, coupled with the results of similar polls conducted both in California and nationally, demonstrate that there is ample support for the legalization of medical marijuana among both political conservatives and the general public.”
The results of the Orange County Register poll are the latest in a series of polls indicating strong support for medical marijuana. A 1995 survey conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) demonstrated that 83 percent of the American public agreed that patients who find marijuana an effective therapeutic agent should be able to use it legally. In addition, six California polls — including one conducted by the Binder Research Group — have shown that a strong majority of Californians support medical marijuana.
For more information please contact either Dave Fratello of Californians for Medical Rights @ (310) 394-2952 or Allen St. Pierre of NORML @ (202) 483-5500.