Florida voters Tuesday are deciding whether to allow the marijuana plant to be used as medicine. A survey indicates that Tallahassee residents are not dazed or confused about Amendment 2. They support it, according to a Downs & St. Germain Research poll.
The Tallahassee-based firm said Tallahassee residents are 50 percent more likely to support the medicinal marijuana initiative than the state is as a whole and also more so than students at Florida A&M and Florida State universities.
Amendment 2 would widen the list of illnesses eligible for treatment with marijuana, adding such ailments as post-traumatic stress disorder, AIDS and glaucoma. Unlike the current medicinal marijuana law, which authorizes a physician to treat illnesses with cannabis oil, Amendment 2 would allow the use of the plant itself.
Sixty percent voter approval is needed for the amendment to pass. Two years ago, Amendment 2 fell two points short of that threshold but recent polls indicate it has the support needed for adoption.
The Downs & St. Germain survey found that 90 percent of Leon respondents support 2. While 84 percent of local university students give it a thumbs up. On the question of legalization of marijuana, 74 percent of local residents said yes, while 68 percent of FAMU/FSU students responded affirmatively. A Gallup survey finds 60 percent of Americans support legalization.
“While this survey does not provide insight into why this is the case, I would speculate that this viewpoint probably stems from Leon County voters being more educated and more liberal than the average U.S. resident,” said Joseph St. Germain, president of the Tallahassee-based research group.
Downs & St. Germain conducted an Internet survey of 347 Tallahassee residents, a nonprobability sample adjusted to reflect the county’s demographics but does not include a margin of error. Those results were compared with on-campus interviews with 315 FAMU & FSU students.
On the question of whether possession of marijuana should be a criminal offense, 7 percent of Tallahassee residents said yes, while 14 percent of university students said they believe it is a crime.
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Full Article: Tallahassee Residents Backing Medical Marijuana Initiative
Author: James Call
Contact: Tallahassee Democrat
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Website: Tallahassee Democrat