Most Californians Want Legal Marijuana

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
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A marijuana user smokes a large joint for 4/20.
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Download The Complete CBS 5 Poll Results (.pdf)
A new KPIX-TV CBS 5 poll released Wednesday showed a majority of Californians now support legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

California was the first state to approve medical marijuana, in 1996, and has been the hub of the so-called "Green Rush" to legalize marijuana — a decision California voters will make in the November election.

In the poll, conducted for CBS 5 by SurveyUSA, it found that 56 percent of Californians support legalization and just 42 percent oppose it. Only three percent were unsure.

Support for legalizing marijuana was the strongest among young voters, according to the poll. Three out of every four people in the 18 to 34 age group favored legalization.

Those like Jeff Boggs, 25, of Visalia, who support legalization said opponents have overstated any potential dangers associated with the drug.

"People are scared about things they don't know about," said Boggs, who is married and works for an auto damage appraisal company.

But John Lovell, a spokesman with the California Narcotics Officers' Association, said pot legalization would just exacerbate widespread existing abuses of legal prescription drugs and alcohol.

"Given that reality, we don't need to add another mind-altering substance that compromises people's five senses," Lovell said.

The CBS 5 poll was conducted on April 20 and involved interviews with 500 adults across California. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)