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Quest for Legal Pot Begins Anew; Poll Shows 60 Percent Support

By William Peacock, Esq. on September 26, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

California narrowly missed its chance to become the first state to legalize recreational use of marijuana, when voters defeated Proposition 19 in 2010. The "Regulate, Control, & Tax Cannabis Act" failed, 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent.

Now, after Washington state and Colorado have passed similar laws, it seems the Golden State might be headed that way once again. A recent poll showed 60 percent of likely voters in California, and 52 percent of adults overall, are now in favor of cannibals legalization, reports the San Jose Mercury News.

The current legal status of marijuana in the state is a bit of a gray area. Marijuana is legal for medical use, and based on the number of dispensaries popping up in major cities, it's a pretty popular treatment. Beyond that, with the 2010 decriminalization bill, possession of small quantities, even without a prescription, amounts to a mere infraction.

By sheer coincidence, on the same day the poll results were released, the California Cannabis Hemp Initiative began its battle to obtain sufficient signatures to get its proposed legalization measure placed on the ballot in 2014. And according to Sacramento's KXTV, that 60 percent support level is a strong sign according to "politicos" who prognosticate on California initiatives.

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has also come out in favor of marijuana legalization, recently writing an op-ed in The Huffington Post.

In other news, despite also voting to the contrary a few years back, it seems Californians are also now in favor of gay marriage. About 64 percent of likely voters are in favor of same-sex unions, according to the the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California poll.

Other interesting findings include popular majority support for a plan to reduce prison overcrowding through diversion and treatment, a 48-percent approval rate for Gov. Jerry Brown (though 22 percent "Don't Know"), and, oddly enough, a near-equal split on whether Californians think the economy is doing well (46 percent say "Good Times," while 44 percent say "Bad Times." The remaining 10 percent "Don't Know").

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