Recreational pot:
Poll: 50% favor Prop. 205 despite barrage of TV ads
Half of those surveyed support regulation of the drug.
Despite a barrage of TV ads warning Arizona voters of the potential consequences of legalizing marijuana, about half of those surveyed in a new poll support creating a system to tax and regulate sales of the drug.
The Arizona Republic/Morrison/ Cronkite News poll found 50 percent of the registered voters surveyed favor Proposition 205, which would legalize the drug for adults. Nearly 42 percent oppose it. And another 8 percent were undecided. The statewide telephone poll surveyed 779 registered voters between Oct. 10 and Oct. 15. The margin of error was 4 percentage points.
With early voting underway, public attitudes about the measure remain largely unchanged since the organizations’ August poll. This despite millions of dollars in spending by both sides. The August survey found 50 percent of registered voters favored legalization, 40 percent opposed it, and 10 percent were undecided.
Foes of legal marijuana are making the case that Prop. 205 would endanger children, jeopardize the state’s economy and lead to more drugged driving. At the same time, proponents argue a legal and taxed system would make communities safer, pump money into schools and aid veterans suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Public opinion pollster Mike O’Neil, who reviewed the poll, said the survey offers “substantial evidence” Prop. 205 will pass.
“It seems that they’ve dug in on this one,” O’Neil said of voters. “People have had time to think about it, they’ve had time to digest it, they’ve gotten the (campaign) messages they’re going to get and the campaigns have made their best shots with advertising messages.
“This suggests to me a strong probability that people have tended to make up their minds on this,” he added. “For the 8 percent who say they don’t know — a lot of those won’t vote and a lot of them that do may pass on this question.”
Prop. 205 asks Arizona voters to legalize cannabis for recreational use and establish licensed outlets where sales of the drug would be taxed, similar to the system in Colorado. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, but the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act would allow people 21 and older in Arizona to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana and grow it in their homes.
Violations of Prop. 205 — such as using marijuana in public — would be a petty offense. If Prop. 205 passes, adults could legally start possessing marijuana as soon as election results become official. Sales could start on March 1, 2018.
The poll found that young Arizonans overwhelmingly support marijuana legalization, a trend that is in line with national polls that have found Millennials support legalization at higher rates than their parents and grandparents.
About 69 percent of voters aged 18 to 35 favor legalization. Among voters aged 36 to 50, nearly 60 percent support it. And among those aged 51 and older, the percentage of voters supporting it drops to 40.
Barrett Marson, spokesman for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said the survey shows “marijuana prohibition has been a failure and voters understand that they can end that failed policy by voting yes on Prop. 205.”
Adam Deguire, campaign manager for the No on Prop. 205 campaign, said multiple polls have indicated the race is close. He accused the pro-campaign of trying to manipulate voters with misleading information about the benefits of legalization. On Nov. 8, he predicted, voters will reject the measure.