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.
If you would like an interview regarding this release, please contact Dean Debnam at (888) 621-6988 or 919-880-4888.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you support or oppose Proposition 19,
which would legalize, regulate and tax, the
purchase and sale of marijuana in California?
Support it ……………………………………………….. 52%
Oppose it ……………………………………………….. 36%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q2 Have you ever smoked Marijuana?
Yes ……………………………………………………….. 38%
No …………………………………………………………. 62%
Q3 Is your marijuana usage always recreational,
always medicinal, or a mixture?
Always recreational………………………………….. 66%
Always medicinal …………………………………….. 11%
Mixture…………………………………………………… 23%
Q4 Who did you vote for President last year?
John McCain…………………………………………… 36%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 58%
Someone Else/Don’t Remember………………… 6%
Q5 If you are a liberal, press 1. If a moderate,
press 2. If a conservative, press 3.
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 25%
Moderate………………………………………………… 41%
Conservative…………………………………………… 33%
Q6 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 52%
Man……………………………………………………….. 48%
Q7 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If you are a
Republican, press 2. If you are an independent
or identify with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 46%
Republican……………………………………………… 34%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 19%
Q8 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.
If African-American, press 3. If Asian, press 4.
If other, press 5.
Hispanic…………………………………………………. 20%
White …………………………………………………….. 61%
African-American …………………………………….. 8%
Asian……………………………………………………… 6%
Other……………………………………………………… 5%
Q9 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1 now. If
you are 30 to 45, press 2. If you are 46 to 65,
press 3. If older, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 9%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 27%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 42%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 22%