cannabisnews.com: In Heartland of Legal MJ Movement, Doubts Linger
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In Heartland of Legal MJ Movement, Doubts Linger
Posted by CN Staff on May 31, 2012 at 14:41:18 PT
By Daniel B. Wood, Staff Writer
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Los Angeles -- A new poll in the heart of the nationwide pro-marijuana movement finds that attitudes have not changed appreciably since California voters defeated a citizen’s initiative to legalize pot in 2010.The University of Southern California Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll found 46 percent of California voters in favor of “general or recreational use by adults” and 50 percent against. In 2010, Proposition 19 – which would have made California the first state to allow marijuana for casual use – failed with 54 percent against and 46 percent in favor.
Pro-marijuana activists had hoped that those numbers might have shifted during the past two years. A recent national poll by Rasmussen Reports found that 56 percent of respondents favored legalizing marijuana and regulating it like alcohol and tobacco cigarettes are regulated; 36 percent were opposed. The USC poll appears to dash those hopes, though pro-marijuana activists say the numbers reflect fear of marijuana without regulation or rules.“The word, ‘legalization’ implies a lack of rules, and nowhere in the California poll question is any mention of, or comparison to, a regulatory system,” says Morgan Fox, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, via e-mail. Meanwhile, anti-marijuana groups say they are glad the numbers haven’t budged.“In all my years of working as a clinician at Scripps, we have yet to see a patient come through who doesn’t attribute his addiction to having started with marijuana as a gateway drug,” says Nancy Knott, a teen drug counselor with Scripps Alcohol and Treatment Center in La Jolla, Calif. “These new statistics are going to be played with and spun until the public simply stands up and says, 'Let’s quit thinking about how to feel good and start thinking about the teenagers who are dying from drug addiction.' ”The poll also showed that 80 percent of California voters support doctor-recommended use for severe illness. California was the first of 14 states to approve marijuana for medical purposes. But those against it say the law is too lax in regulating the doctors who issue the cards.“If I had a nickel for every teenager who easily flipped out their medical marijuana card, I would be a rich woman,” says Ms. Knott.Tod Burke, a professor of Criminal Justice at Radford University in Virginia, says the poll can be read either way."Proponents will indicate that almost half of the population supports the legalization of marijuana for 'general or recreational use by adults,' while opponents will note that the majority of the population opposes the measure," he says. Both "will push for their own agenda."Source: Christian Science Monitor (US)Author: Daniel B. Wood, Staff Writer Published: May 31, 2012Copyright: 2012 The Christian Science Publishing SocietyContact: letters csmonitor.comWebsite: http://www.csmonitor.com/ URL: http://drugsense.org/url/aoIbzo0XCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #4 posted by Oleg the Tumor on June 06, 2012 at 16:07:59 PT:
"Anecdotal" mean they don't believe you.
"Testimony", on the other hand, means they are supposed to believe you because you are "under oath". The only problem is: They don't want to hear anything at all.I know I am ready to testify. But to who? (Or is it "whom")
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Comment #3 posted by afterburner on June 01, 2012 at 09:18:28 PT
Oops, Make that the 2nd recent CSM article
I must have read it yesterday when there were no comments.
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on June 01, 2012 at 09:12:49 PT
 Vincent #1 
Yes, patient self-reports is what the prohibitionists disparagingly call 'anecdotal' evidence. They condemn 'anecdotal' evidence of medical cannabis utility, but use the same to back up their stale talking points.This is the 3rd recent article in the Christian Science Monitor, which is obviously extremely biased against the cause of cannabis freedom and cannabis medicine, planting seeds of doubt in the minds of the voters.Gee whiz, I wonder if those numbers haven't shifted, despite the aggressive federal crackdown on medical cannabis dispensaries and the transfer of supply fulfillment to unaccountable criminal gangs. Will the black market criminal gangs, that the federal government seems hell-bent on rewarding with more business, meet the approved definition of 'caregiver'?
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Comment #1 posted by Vincent on June 01, 2012 at 08:08:40 PT:
the same
“In all my years of working as a clinician at Scripps, we have yet to see a patient come through who doesn’t attribute his addiction to having started with marijuana as a gateway drug,” says Nancy Knott, a teen drug counselor with Scripps Alcohol and Treatment Center.Why, oh why do ALL Conservatives sound the same when they talk? Could it be that they have nothing new, indeed, nothing of substance, to add?
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