New York, NY: Most New York state voters support regulating the adult use of cannabis, while a super-majority endorse legalizing the plant for therapeutic purposes, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Monday.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents support "allowing adults in New York State to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use." Only 39 percent of respondents opposed the idea.
Respondents most likely to favor legalization include those ages 18 to 29 (83 percent), Democrats (65 percent), those ages 30 to 49 (61 percent), and men (63 percent). Support is significantly lower among women (51 percent), Republicans (39 percent), and those over the age of 65 (38 percent).
On the issue of legalizing cannabis for therapeutic purposes, voter support rose to 88 percent – with the issue receiving super-majority support from respondents of every age and political affiliation.
In separate questions, only 13 percent of respondents say that they believe that cannabis is "more dangerous" than alcohol, and fewer than half believe that it is a ‘gateway’ to other illicit substance use.
The survey possesses a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points.
Legislation to legalize the possession, cultivation, and retail sale of the plant – the "Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act" – is pending in both the New York state Senate and the Assembly. Separate legislation to allow qualified patients to possess and purchase cannabis for therapeutic purposes also remains pending.
In January, Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo – who had previously expressed opposition to allowing for the medical use of cannabis – announced plans to use his executive powers to revive a dormant research program that would allow for the use of government-grown marijuana in select hospitals. However, efforts to reestablish similar programs in other states have not been effective.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director, at (202) 483-5500.