MEDICAL MARIJUANA HAS PUBLIC SUPPORT

More than half of Hawaii residents agree that certain people should be
allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes, a recent Honolulu
Advertiser/Channel 2 News Hawaii Poll suggests.

Lawmakers passed legislation this session allowing people to smoke
marijuana to relieve symptoms from illnesses such as cancer, glaucoma,
HIV and AIDS. Under the bill, patients would have to be diagnosed by a
licensed physician as having a debilitating medical condition and have
a written certification from the physician that the potential benefits
of medical marijuana outweigh health risks.

Sixty percent of the Hawaii adults surveyed said they agreed with the
bill. A little more than a third of those polled said they disagreed,
and 4 percent said they didn't know. The margin of error for the poll
is 4.4 percentage points.

People under 55 years old favored the measure by about a 2-1 ratio,
while those 55 and older were split on the issue.

Caucasians showed the most support for the bill; slightly more than
half of the Filipino respondents disagreed with it.

Legislators were divided on the issue. Opponents said the bill would
open the gates to more dangerous drugs, and that the state should not
legalize a drug that hasn't been approved by the federal government.
Supporters said medical marijuana would relieve the suffering of many
patients and that there are enough safeguards to protect children and
the community.

Gov. Ben Cayetano, who proposed similar legislation, said he would
sign the bill.

Ward Research of Honolulu randomly surveyed 504 Hawaii adults, May
4-9.