Poll: Majority of Texans, half of Republicans favor marijuana legalization

Here's a fascinating public opinion poll regarding Texans' views on marijuana policy (pdf). And here's an excerpt from an email from the Marijuana Policy Project announcing the survey results:

In a poll released today, 58% of Texas voters support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol. Opponents were a distinct minority, with only 38% opposed. If you believe Texas would benefit from a taxed and regulated approach to marijuana — similar to Colorado and Washington’s — tell your legislators today!

Compared with a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in April of this year, Texans are even more supportive of regulating marijuana like alcohol than Americans as a whole.

According to the most recent statistics provided by state law enforcement to the FBI, an amazing 98% of all marijuana-related arrests in Texas were for possession. During the same period in 2011, over 88% of all motor vehicle thefts and 71% of burglaries, including home invasions, went unsolved by police.

As marijuana cases have distracted law enforcement from serious crime, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent report indicates that more teens consume marijuana than cigarettes – a taxed and regulated product. Marijuana prohibition has been a failure by practically every measure. Let your legislators know that it’s time for a new approach.

Republicans were split more or less equally on the subject of marijuana legalization, with 48 percent supporting the idea and 49 percent opposing. Among Dems, support was stronger at 67-25 percent. Solid majorities of both parties favored making pot possession a civil instead of a criminal offense (though I must say Grits is unsure precisely what that would look like).

At the Texas Lege, I can't tell you how many times over the years legislators from both parties have expressed to me their personal support for pot legalization but apologetically declared they feared political backlash if they publicly supported the idea. If this poll is accurate, those fears were unwarranted. At a minimum, these numbers make me think legislation to reduce criminal penalties would be favorably received by the public.

There will surely be critics who think MPP's  polling is biased, so one hopes other pollsters will check to see if these results are replicable. If so, these data could lead to a potentially constructive, bipartisan drug policy push on the subject when the 84th Texas Legislature convenes in 2015.

In a poll released today, 58% of Texas voters support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol. Opponents were a distinct minority, with only 38% opposed. If you believe Texas would benefit from a taxed and regulated approach to marijuana — similar to Colorado and Washington’s — tell your legislators today!
Compared with a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in April of this year, Texans are even more supportive of regulating marijuana like alcohol than Americans as a whole. 
According to the most recent statistics provided by state law enforcement to the FBI, an amazing 98% of all marijuana-related arrests in Texas were for possession. During the same period in 2011, over 88% of all motor vehicle thefts and 71% of burglaries, including home invasions, went unsolved by police.
As marijuana cases have distracted law enforcement from serious crime, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent report indicates that more teens consume marijuana than cigarettes – a taxed and regulated product. Marijuana prohibition has been a failure by practically every measure. Let your legislators know that it’s time for a new approach.
- See more at: http://control.mpp.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=69441.0&dlv_id=63841#sthash.s8urRc27.dpuf

In a poll released today, 58% of Texas voters support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol. Opponents were a distinct minority, with only 38% opposed. If you believe Texas would benefit from a taxed and regulated approach to marijuana — similar to Colorado and Washington’s — tell your legislators today!
Compared with a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in April of this year, Texans are even more supportive of regulating marijuana like alcohol than Americans as a whole. 
According to the most recent statistics provided by state law enforcement to the FBI, an amazing 98% of all marijuana-related arrests in Texas were for possession. During the same period in 2011, over 88% of all motor vehicle thefts and 71% of burglaries, including home invasions, went unsolved by police.
As marijuana cases have distracted law enforcement from serious crime, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent report indicates that more teens consume marijuana than cigarettes – a taxed and regulated product. Marijuana prohibition has been a failure by practically every measure. Let your legislators know that it’s time for a new approach.
- See more at: http://control.mpp.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=69441.0&dlv_id=63841#sthash.s8urRc27.dpuf

In a poll released today, 58% of Texas voters support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol. Opponents were a distinct minority, with only 38% opposed. If you believe Texas would benefit from a taxed and regulated approach to marijuana — similar to Colorado and Washington’s — tell your legislators today!
Compared with a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in April of this year, Texans are even more supportive of regulating marijuana like alcohol than Americans as a whole. 
According to the most recent statistics provided by state law enforcement to the FBI, an amazing 98% of all marijuana-related arrests in Texas were for possession. During the same period in 2011, over 88% of all motor vehicle thefts and 71% of burglaries, including home invasions, went unsolved by police.
As marijuana cases have distracted law enforcement from serious crime, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent report indicates that more teens consume marijuana than cigarettes – a taxed and regulated product. Marijuana prohibition has been a failure by practically every measure. Let your legislators know that it’s time for a new approach.
- See more at: http://control.mpp.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=69441.0&dlv_id=63841#sthash.s8urRc27.dpuf