July 27, 2010 - 52% of California voters support Proposition 19, that would legalize, regulate and tax the purchase and sale of marijuana in the State of California. 36% of voters oppose the proposition.
Almost two fifths of Californians say they've smoked marijuana. But having never tried marijuana isn't a pretense for opposition. 44% of those who claim they have never smoked marijuana still support Proposition 19, 43% say they are against the measure.This could suggest that many believe legalizing marijuana is about more than access to pot.
Democrats are more likely to support the proposition than Republicans; 62: 37. 55% of Independents support the legalization of the sale of marijuana.
The most division is amongst race. African-Americans support the proposition 68:32. White Californians support legalization of marijuana 53:37, Hispanics 47:36. Asians are the only race who opposes the measure, 29: 43%. This is likely related to the current law's impact on each racial group.
"Marijuana continues to be a hot button issue in California," said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. "Voters seemed to be convinced that is about more than simply dispensing marijuana, but that such a change could have huge impacts on the state."
PPP surveyed 614 California voters from July 23-25. The survey's margin of error is +/-3.95%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
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