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inkblot
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New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated
#10298594 - 05/06/09 06:40 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may062009/mj_zogby_5-6-09.php
(WASHINGTON D.C.) - A new Zogby poll commissioned by the conservative-leaning O'Leary Report has found 52 percent voter support for treating marijuana as a legal, taxed, regulated substance.
The survey, published as a full-page ad in today's issue of the political newspaper The Hill, polled a sample of 3,937 voters weighted to match the 2008 presidential outcome -- 54 percent Obama voters and 46 percent McCain supporters.
"This new survey continues the recent trend of strong and growing support for taxing and regulating marijuana and ending the disastrously failed policy of prohibition," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.
Voters were asked: "Scarce law enforcement and prison resources, a desire to neutralize drug cartels and the need for new sources of revenue have resurrected the topic of legalizing marijuana. Proponents say it makes sense to tax and regulate the drug while opponents say that legalization would lead marijuana users to use other illegal drugs. Would you favor or oppose the government's effort to legalize marijuana?"
The results showed a decisive majority of 52 percent in favor with 37 percent opposed and 11 percent not sure -- slightly higher than the 46 percent support reported in an ABC News/Washington Post poll released at the end of April.
In California, the respected Field poll recently found 56 percent support for making marijuana a taxed, regulated product that is legal for adults.
"Voters are coming to realize that marijuana prohibition gives us the worst of all possible worlds -- a drug that's widely available but totally unregulated, whose producers and sellers pay no taxes but whose profits often support murderous drug cartels," Kampia said.
"The public is way ahead of the politicians on this."
With more than 27,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.
Edited by inkblot (05/06/09 07:03 PM)
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Bikerfool
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: inkblot]
#10298943 - 05/06/09 07:28 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Wow, Zogby huh? That's a big deal for well known conservative pollsters to come out with this. I'm not surprised that some conservatives support legalization though (Glenn Beck). Taxation and regulation is actually closer to a free market than prohibition. Legalization would also work to reduce the size of government.
3937 voters though? Is that really a large enough sample to make a judgment about the whole country? Also, why try to match up presidential preference to legalization? How does who you voted for influence whether or not you agree with legalization? Zogby's attempt to gain an accurate assessment skews the poll. Aren't the most accurate polls completely random?
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Rebirtha
I really like bread
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: Bikerfool]
#10298956 - 05/06/09 07:31 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Agreed, incredibly small sample.
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inkblot
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: Rebirtha]
#10299033 - 05/06/09 07:49 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Compared to most non-online polls, that's pretty large.
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SilverSwami
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: inkblot]
#10299152 - 05/06/09 08:08 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Yes we're getting there... *redneck voice*
-------------------- Yes.
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AnonymousRabbit
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.
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Edited by AnonymousRabbit (05/19/22 12:51 AM)
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Bikerfool
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: AnonymousRabbit]
#10299272 - 05/06/09 08:26 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
supernovasky said: This is not a small sample. 720 is the minimum sample for +/- 5% error rate, from what I remember from my prob stat class. Its analogous to a chef having a giant pot of soup and taking a tiny taste with a teaspoon. He can still get a fairly good representation of how it tastes.
That makes sense, stats wasn't my thing. I suppose Zogby knows more about this than I do.
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DickBukus
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: Bikerfool]
#10299298 - 05/06/09 08:30 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Blah blah blah... It will never happen. But, I'll keep dreaming.
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AnonymousRabbit
Comrade
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.
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Edited by AnonymousRabbit (05/19/22 12:51 AM)
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Nymphaea
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: AnonymousRabbit]
#10299783 - 05/06/09 10:00 PM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
supernovasky said:
Quote:
DickBukus said: Blah blah blah... It will never happen. But, I'll keep dreaming.
Won't be for the lack of me trying.
Dito.
The sample size (close to 4,000) is plenty large enough. It is surprising how accurate such a small percentage of the population can portray the the opinion of the entire nation. All the polls you see during election time involve samples close to this size. I don't know what they where doing by making the sample match up to the presidential election though; I believe they should have done it totally at random.
This is fantastic news though! Public opinion on this issue is changing extremely fast and I believe it is because of exposure. Marijuana is all over the news, the drug cartels are causing trouble (by doing so they are their own undoing), and the government is looking for new tax dollars. Who knows what the cumulative effects of NORML's national TV pro-marijuana ads will be? The media is really ramping up coverage on this issue lately. Today on CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC there where spots talking about the legalization bill in Cali, and debates on the topic. I do have to say the prohibitionists did a better job in the debates today, but it doesn't matter; once this is up for national debate it's over. Once people begin talking about this, which they are, logic and science will prevail.
-------------------- Plant Trees
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Groomies
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: Nymphaea]
#10300716 - 05/07/09 03:41 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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lately I've been hearing and seeing more and more stuff about how Marijuana should be legal. I've even seen it on "Family Guy" I hope it happens soon
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Primefied
werd
Registered: 02/10/09
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: Groomies]
#10301633 - 05/07/09 10:00 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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The only way to win the war on drugs is to end the war on drugs; to reduce underage drug use, drastically reduce AIDS and HIV spread, end violence on the street caused by drugs.
Theres a stigma in most cultures especially technologically advanced ones like Canada and US, where drug addicts are drug addicts because they deserve to be. Their kids deserve to be and they upper class looks down and says ``you have the tools to better yourself but you choose not to`` To keep this short and sweet, its like fleas in a jar. If you put fleas in a jar they can easily jump out. If you put the lid on the jar they cannot, when they jump they hit the lid. They get so used to hitting the lid they are conditioned to jumping to only the height of the lid. Thus, when you take the lid off they can no longer jump out. Some of them do, but most do not. This analogy works well to describe most of the less advanced social groups. Black people in the ghettos, Native Americans in the reserves, Aborigines in Australia etc.
The lid represents years of ghettoization and upper classes using slavery, drugs, alcohol and the like to repress them.
Imagine, if all drugs are completely legal, like they once were. What would happen? would there be mass chaos? everyone running at once to get high? Fuck no! look around its mass chaos already! Have you ever seen East Side Van? and that's just a Canadian city, I havent explored any shit areas of large U.S cities and don't really want to.
If weed was legal the same people who get high now would get high, it would be taxed, controlled, there would be more jobs, and more information for up and coming pot heads to make their own decision.
lets go to an extreme.. if meth and heroin became legal-- -It is controlled. The toxicity is known. less OD`s. A consistent reduction in home meth labs and the problems they cause -People wouldn't share needles or re use them, people with HIV AIDS increase around 20 000 people per year just in the U.S (http://www.avert.org/usa-statistics.htm) Guaranteed the number of new cases per year would reduce by at LEAST 90%. -Better treatment centres for addicts -Better education for people who would try it for the first time. -All the money would be taxed and none would go to organized crime.
And if theyre would legalize the drugs they might as well do the same with prostitution. There are even worse problems with this issue; underage girls and boys, people doing it against their will, rape, murder etc. And allllllll the cash goes to fund more illegal activities.
Oh but that could never work.....only it has for Holland but no one seems to give a damn.
Sorry for my rant, little long. but ya, I say FUCK YOU legalize it all!
Any rebuttals are more than welcome.
-------------------- Sink or Swim
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Mindlesstaco
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Re: New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legal, Taxed, Regulated [Re: Primefied]
#10301798 - 05/07/09 10:35 AM (14 years, 10 months ago) |
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Well played sir.
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