POLL: 63 PERCENT FAVOR MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

The majority of Arkansans surveyed in a new poll favor the legalization of
marijuana for medicinal purposes, if its use is directed by a doctor.

The third annual Arkansas Poll found that 63 percent of 767 state
residents, questioned in a telephone survey, supported legalization of
medicinal marijuana.

Another 32 percent said they would not support such an action.

The results of the poll were released Wednesday in Little Rock. The poll is
created by faculty at the University of Arkansas and conducted by telephone
with the help of students. Students spent about eight days conducting
telephone interviews before finishing Oct. 17.

Todd Shields, the chairman of the UA political science department, said the
medical marijuana question yielded the most surprising results of any asked
in the poll.

Support for the idea came equally from people of separate ages, gender and
income levels, he said. The question was included in the poll because of
the possibility that it could be a ballot issue in the 2002 election, he said.

In other topics, poll participants have been asked to name the single most
pressing problem facing Arkansans.

War and terrorism was identified this year by 12.5 percent of those polled.
Answers to that question were spontaneous; participants were not prompted
with a list of possible answers.

War or terrorism had no presence when the same question was asked by
pollsters in 1999 and 2000.

This year, it came in second, behind unemployment or a lack of jobs, which
was chosen by 21.1 percent as the most pressing problem. Education was
third with 12.4 percent. Immigration was called most pressing by 0.8
percent, or six people.

Health care in the state was said to need some reform by 73 percent of
those asked, with 25 percent saying the current system is broken and needs
major work. Twenty-four percent said the system is working pretty well.

Several questions in the poll were related to the role women play in state
and federal politics. Forty-four percent of those polled said the country
would be governed better if more women held political office. Thirty-three
percent said it would be governed worse.

Seventy-six percent said they expect to see a woman president of the United
States in the next 10 to 25 years. Eleven percent said never.

Asked to label their political loyalties, 27 percent described themselves
as Republican, up from 23 percent in 1999. Democrat was picked by 33
percent, down from 35 percent in 1999. Thirty-one percent chose
independent, with another 5 percent choosing a category labeled "Other."

The complete results of the Arkansas Poll can be viewed online at:
http://plsc.uark.edu/arkpoll/