POLL: MANY IN US STILL AGAINST LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

Opposition Prevalent Among Women, Republicans

LOS ANGELES - Most Americans still oppose legalizing marijuana, but
larger majorities think pot has medical benefits and the government
should allow its use for that purpose, according to an Associated
Press-CNBC poll released today.

Respondents were skeptical that crime would spike if marijuana is
decriminalized or that it would lead more people to harder drugs like
heroin or cocaine. There also was a nearly even split on whether the
government spends too much or the right amount enforcing marijuana
laws. Almost no one thinks too little is spent.

Marijuana use - medically and recreationally - is getting more
attention in the political arena. California voters will decide in
November whether to legalize the drug, and South Dakota will vote
this fall on whether to allow medical uses. California and 13 other
states already permit such use.

The balloting comes against the backdrop of the Obama administration
saying it won't target marijuana dispensaries if they comply with
state laws, a departure from the policy of the Bush administration,
which sought to more stringently enforce the federal ban on marijuana
use for any purpose.

In the poll, only 33 percent favor legalization while 55 percent
oppose it. People under 30 were the only age group favoring
legalization (54 percent) and opposition increased with age, topping
out at 73 percent of those 65 and older. Opposition also was
prevalent among women, Republicans and those in rural and suburban areas.

Some opponents worried legalization would lead to reefer madness.

"I think it would be chaos if it was legalized," said Shirley
Williams, a 75-year-old retired English teacher from Quincy, Ill.
"People would get in trouble and use marijuana as an excuse."

Those like Jeff Boggs, 25, of Visalia, Calif., who support
legalization said the dangers associated with the drug have been overstated.

"People are scared about things they don't know about," said Boggs,
who is married and works for an auto damage appraisal company.

Americans are more accepting of medical marijuana. Sixty percent
support the idea and 74 percent think the drug has a real medical
benefit for some people. Two-thirds of Democrats favor medical
marijuana as do a slim majority of Republicans, 53 percent.

Peoples' views on legalizing marijuana or on allowing its use for
medicinal purposes were largely uniform across different regions of
the country, despite the fact that legal medical marijuana use is
concentrated in the West.

Bill Hankins, 77, of Mason, Mich., opposes legalizing marijuana, but
strongly favors using the drug medicinally. Michigan is among the
states that allow medical pot.

"It has been shown through tests to alleviate pain in certain medical
conditions," said Hankins, who said he experimented with pot when he
was younger. If Hankins fell gravely ill and "my doctor said I should
have it to control the pain, I would use it," he said.

California was the first state to approve medical marijuana in 1996,
and has been the hub of the so-called "Green Rush" to legalize marijuana.

But a patchwork of local laws in the state has created confusion
about the law and lax oversight led to an explosion of medical
marijuana dispensaries in some places.

In Los Angeles, the number of dispensaries exploded from four to
upward of 1,000 in the past five years. Police think some were
nothing but fronts for drug dealers to sell marijuana to people who
have no medical need, and the city recently adopted an ordinance to
reduce that number to 70 in coming months.

Among those surveyed, 45 percent said the cost of enforcing existing
laws is too high and 48 percent said it's about right. Democrats, men
and young people were most apt to say the cost is exorbitant.

With state and local governments desperate for cash, some
legalization proponents are pushing marijuana as a potential revenue
stream. But only 14 percent of those surveyed who oppose legalization
would change their mind if states were to tax the drug.

John Lovell, a spokesman with the California Narcotics Officers'
Association, said he wasn't surprised by the poll results because
people already are aware of widespread abuse of legal prescription
drugs and alcohol.

"Given that reality, we don't need to add another mind-altering
substance that compromises people's five senses," Lovell said.

The AP-CNBC Poll was conducted April 7-12 by GfK Roper Public Affairs
and Media. It involved interviews with 1,001 adults nationwide on
landlines and cell phones. It had a margin of sampling error of plus
or minus 4.3 percentage points.