MEDICAL POT SUPPORT GROWS

But Recreational Use Still Not Favored, Poll Finds

SACRAMENTO -- Californians overwhelmingly favor the medical use of
marijuana, and they're increasingly apt to view pot in the same
category as alcohol, but despite a softening of views over the past
two decades, a majority still opposes legalizing the drug for
recreational use, according to a statewide opinion poll released today.

Three out of four voters (74 percent) support implementation of
Proposition 215, the 1996 ballot initiative that legalized marijuana
use for those suffering from a range of medical conditions, the Field
Poll reported. That's significantly greater support than the 56
percent of voters who passed the measure.

The poll's findings were based on interviews with 500 registered
voters from Jan. 5 to Jan. 13. Results had a margin of error of plus
or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Increased tolerance among Californians is directly at odds with the
federal government's continued efforts to prosecute medical-marijuana
users in this state.

In California, though, support for medical marijuana cut across
political lines and age groups. While 92 percent of liberals said they
supported Proposition 215, 78 percent of moderate voters and 53
percent of conservative voters also shared that view.

People between the ages of 30 and 39 were most supportive (79
percent). But a majority of those 65 and older (59 percent) also
supported medical-pot use.

Californians have mellowed in their opinions about nonmedical
marijuana use as well.

In 1969, only 16 percent of voters said marijuana was "no more
dangerous than the use of alcohol." In 1983, that view was shared by
44 percent of voters. And the most recent poll found fully half (50
percent) considered pot as no more dangerous than alcohol.

A similar opinion trend can be seen in the percentage of voters who
think that marijuana is a so-called gateway drug, leading to the use
of more dangerous drugs. In 1969, 83 percent of voters thought so. In
1983, that idea was shared by 58 percent. Today, only 52 percent think
so.

Field Poll researchers also found that people who reported having
smoked marijuana generally believed it benign. They also found that
more-educated voters tended to discount the "gateway" theory. Among
voters with a high school education, 61 percent think marijuana leads
to harder drug use. Only 38 percent of those who have studied for
advanced degrees believe it does.

A majority (58 percent) believes that "marijuana is a dangerous drug
that can make a person lose control of what he or she is doing." In
1983, 65 percent thought that way.

Overall, though, Californians remain opposed to the idea of legalizing
marijuana for general consumption, selling it like alcohol or tobacco
and collecting taxes on its use.

That opinion has not changed much in the past 20 years.

In 1983, 35 percent of California voters approved of legalizing
marijuana. Today, 39 percent approve, and a majority (56 percent)
disapproves of legalization other than for medical use. Support for
the idea was greatest among liberals (54 percent approved) and those
who have smoked marijuana (52 percent).