JANUARY 23, 2013
New poll demonstrates record support for Arizona medical marijuana act, regulating marijuana like alcohol
Fifty-nine percent of Arizonans, including a majority of independents, support the law allowing medical marijuana dispensaries
PHOENIX – In a poll conducted January 9 and 10, Public Policy Polling found that 59 percent of Arizonans support the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, and 59 percent would vote “yes” on a future initiative to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. The poll of 600 Arizona voters was commissioned by the National Cannabis Industry Association. View the results at http://thecannabisindustry.org/AZ-survey-011113.pdf.
Despite multiple delays caused by governmental inaction and meritless lawsuits, the strictly controlled non-profit medical marijuana dispensaries mandated by 2010’s Proposition 203 are beginning to operate. Aaron Smith, Executive Director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, stated "Allowing seriously ill patients access to medical marijuana demonstrates compassion, but supporting a well-regulated medical marijuana system also benefits the broader community by allowing patients to obtain their medicine through safe and legal dispensaries rather than the criminal market. State officials should see this survey as a mandate to fully implement the law rather than continuing to waste taxpayer money on futile obstructionism.”
Smith highlighted the benefits of regulated marijuana sales, which include redirecting law enforcement efforts toward violent and serious crimes, creating sustainable jobs, generating tax revenues, and better restricting youth access to marijuana, noting that “It's no surprise that nearly six out of ten voters support regulating the state's entire marijuana market in order to keep marijuana behind the counter at licensed, tax-paying facilities rather than on the streets and under the control of violent drug cartels.”
