By Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
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 yesterday.
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.
Source: NORML - make a donation
