evolution

A Zogby poll — commissioned by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the “weed lobby” — says that 46% of likely voters nation-wide want federal law to “let states legally regulate and tax marijuana the way they do liquor and gambling.” The issue polled slightly higher on the coasts, which is not surprising at all.

Here are some other things I found interesting:

Respondents’ support for marijuana law reform was strongly influenced by age and political affiliation. Nearly two-thirds of 18-29 year-olds (65 percent) and half of 50-64 year-olds think federal law should be amended to allow states the option to regulate marijuana, while majorities of 30-49 year-olds (58 percent) and seniors 65 and older (52 percent) oppose such a change.

In other words, college students and Baby Boomers (with fond memories of the 1960s no doubt) approve, while Greatest Generationers (most of those born before 1940) disapprove. 30-49 year-olds disapproved generally, which makes sense when you consider that these are the most likely people to have young or adolescent children. From these results it’s possible to postulate that most Americans don’t care if their neighbor has small amounts for his own use, but they do care very much when it intrudes upon their family lives, i.e., by having it in the hands of their children.

This (except for perhaps the polling numbers on Jews) should surprise no one:

Respondents’ opinions were also influenced by religious affiliation. Nearly 70 percent of respondents who identified themselves as Jewish, and nearly 60 percent of respondents who said they were non-religious believe that states should regulate cannabis, while only 48 percent of Catholics and 38 percent of Protestants support such a policy.

I think it makes sense in the light of this data, assuming the pollsters’ good faith, to have marijuana regulated by the states. It solves many problems at once at little cost while at the same time having the potential to reduce government costs (and hence government spending), and I like those solutions very much.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 18th, 2006 at 11:49 and is filed under freedom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.