High Support (81%) for Medical Marijuana (ABC News/Washington Post Poll)

[kpete]

Source: ABC News

High Support for Medical Marijuana
ABC News/Washington Post Poll: 81 Percent Support Legalizing Marijuana for Medical Use
ANALYSIS By GARY LANGER
Jan. 18, 2010

Eight in 10 Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical use and nearly half favor decriminalizing the drug more generally, both far higher than a decade ago.
High Support for Medical Marijuana ABC News/Washington Post Poll: 81 Percent Support Legalizing Marijuana for Medical Use

With New Jersey this week poised to become the 14th state to legalize medical marijuana, 81 percent in this national ABC News/Washington Post poll support the idea, up from an already substantial 69 percent in 1997. Indeed the main complaint is with restrictions on access, as in the New Jersey law.

Click here for PDF with charts and questionnaire.
http://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1100a3MedicalMarijuana.pdf

Fifty-six percent say that if it's allowed, doctors should be able to prescribe medical marijuana to anyone they think it can help. New Jersey's measure, which is more restrictive than most, limits prescriptions to people with severe illnesses. State health officials can add to the list.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/Politics/medical-marijuana-abc-news-poll-analysis/story?id=9586503&page=1

[last1standing]

1. Gotta love puns.

n/t

[derby378]

11. Yay, puns!

:rofl:

[endless october]

2. skip medical and legalize completely.

safer than alcohol or tobacco, and users of those drugs don't have to fuck around with finding a medical use.

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. +1

:thumbsup:

[Ganja Ninja]

12. It's the only way to make sure the cops don't try to harass people.

Otherwise they will be inclined to seize plants from growers, seize pot from patients and challenge the patients and doctors rights. Old habits and old hate die hard.

[Stumbler]

3. I guess this also means 81% of Americans are now part of the radical fringe left...

Surely, no level-headed, employed, educated American would ever consider legalization of this wicked gateway drug when plenty of factory-made synthetic pharmaceuticals are available.
:sarcasm:

[JoeyT]

4. I don't know about 81%

but the half of the country that support medical marijuana and single payer are probably considered fringe left.

[liberation]

7. I prefer the "fridge left" myself...

I love how conservatives have been embarked in a total doublespeak/newspeak campaign for the past 3+ decades. They follow an almost Goebbels-like approach to the whole thing: make some shit up, and repeat ad infinitum in lockstep always on message.... until it becomes "true" magically in the minds of people. You can see it on the TeeVee, on a given day... there will be tens of different GOP talking heads. And all of them, and I mean EVERY SIGNLE ONE OF THEM is on the very same message... down to a T, no hesitation, no thinking. Sometimes I think to myself they have some sort of antennae embedded in their brains and get the talking points beamed directly from some mothership. It is frightening really.

When I tell my friends in Europe that in the USA words like liberal and socialism are considered insults they look at me with a blank stare of disbelief. If you think about it, the right in this country has managed to make the root terms of those words also an insult by proxy: If being a LIBERal is a bad thing, it implies that LIBERty is also a bad thing. If SOCIalism is an awful ethos, it implies that SOCIety is also an awful thing or concept.


Now think about that for a second... because that is literally the MO described in 1984 down to a T. Me thinks the idiots in the American right read that book as an instructions manual! I mean, they literally got away during the 8 years of terror of Bush with saying how "War is Peace" "Freedom is Slavery" etc... Unbelievable. So next time a conservative tells you that liberals and socialists are horrible monsters, then ask him or her why liberty and society are such terrible things.

Oh, and by the way. Conservatism as ethos is defined among other things by the goal of conserving/keeping and maintaining traditional power structures. Which is somewhat antithetical to the concept of democracy which implies the cycling of power not its conservation for the sake of it. So the accusations regarding the "antidemocratic" tendencies of liberals by the American right, is nothing more that projection shenanigans gone horribly horribly wrong.

[SsevenN]

19. From my experience...

...On other forums, I've found even most conservatives support the decriminalization of pot and almost all of them favor legalizing it for medical use. Only the "holier than thou" bible thumping pricks are against it.

[90-percent]

6. 80% in favor

Wow! Getting that many people on one side of any issue is next to impossible.

Of course, if 99.999% of us favor something, we wouldn't get it if the corporations are against it.

American Democracy 2010 style.

-90% Jimmy

[AlbertCat]

26. Of course, if 99.999% of us favor something, we wouldn't get it if the corporations are against it.

I'll bet 99.999% are in favor of breathable air and drinkable water not to mention a climate that doesn't turn the interior of the continent into a desert.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[defendandprotect]

10. ...especially considering that it's been such a TABOO subject in America for so long...

it's almost been up to the anti-drug war and marijuana legalization organizations

to spread the truth about marijuana --

Lots of health benefits -- true for thousands of years!

And the Drug War is simply another tool for illegal funds for the right wing --

and for corruption of our "people's" government -- !!

Not to mention how it is used to interfere with other nations -- polluting their soil, etal.

[TheIdiot]

17. that's right...

if you can get the turn-out, the law will be changed.

[defendandprotect]

9. NJ is going for medical marijuana -- but we need decriminalization ... and...

maybe if more here smoked pot we wouldn't be so intolerant of gays/lesbians!!!

And get gay marriage law passed here in NJ!

[independentpiney]

18. The NJ Bill is so restrictive in both covered illnesses and the distribution

network that many people who could benefit won't be able to participate. I have qualifying medical conditions, but I don't think I'll be driving to AC or Camden and paying more than what I pay for my other Rx's to be legal. I've stayed under the radar this long,I guess I can stay here.

Legalize, regulate and tax. And get gay marriage passed.

[defendandprotect]

28. Sad to hear that -- !!!

So many, IMO, could benefit from it -- !!

[Blue Owl]

13. now if we just had an actual democracy...

We could do away with this war on drugs nonsense.

These days it's not what the people want -- it's what the MONEY PARTY wants. (i.e. big pharma, big brother, big prison)

[FiveGoodMen]

16. It's the CEOs or us!

Wonder when someone will start the REAL war?

[defendandprotect]

29. Agree . . .

Meanwhile, liberals and progressives are trying to come together here . . .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=244&topic_id=2468&mesg_id=2490

If you're interested -- check in!

:)

[alp227]

14. Our government has been making way too many unpopular decisions.

Such as the War on Drugs and escalating the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

[Uncle Joe]

15. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[RyboSlybo]

20. Freedom For The Win!

Is this possible? I guess there are more Freedom loving Americans than I thought...

Decriminalize PERIOD!

MOTHER NATURE IS NOT A CRIME!

I Hope Reagan is spinning in his grave... Drug War = Fail

[rayofreason]

21. I support nonmedical marijuana as well. n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

22. Aka: The "Let Them Get Stoned So We Can Continue Pillaging Initiative"

[colsohlibgal]

23. Just Say Yes

It's only a matter of time, it will be totally legalized within 20 years - as it should be. If alcohol is legal, pot sure should be.

[AlbertCat]

27. It's only a matter of time, it will be totally legalized within 20 years -

Ha! That's what we all said between puffs in 1971.

[nostalgicaboutmyfutr]

24. "Yes we Cannibus!" EOM"

[Initech]

25. Emphasis on the "high" part.

:smoke: