Colorado Voters Turning Against Marijuana Legalization
Suffolk University/USA Today poll finds support for legalization plummets 17% among Colorado voters
DENVER– In the first indication of a backlash brewing in Colorado against legal pot, a Suffolk University/USA Today poll finds that now only 46% of likely voters support Amendment 64, the constitutional amendment legalizing and commercializing marijuana. 50% of likely voters oppose the measure entirely. That is a marked difference from election night 2012, when 55% of voters supported the measure. Even fewer people – 42% of likely voters – approve with the way the state is handling the legal change.
“We have always believed that when voters were given the facts about marijuana, the marijuana industry, and the failings of commercialization, they would oppose legalization. It is unfortunate Colorado has been the lab rat of the marijuana industry, but we’re confident legalization will only be temporary as opposition to legalization grows and our education of people across the state increases,” said Bob Doyle, Chair, Colorado SAM Coalition.
Colorado has grown into a massive opportunity for marijuana businesses, who sell candy, chocolate, and other kid-friendly marijuana items. This has led to a rise in poison center calls and emergency room admissions.
“The theory of legalization looks a lot prettier than the policy in practice,” remarked Kevin A. Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). “Revenue numbers are low, the underground market is thriving, and health issues are mounting. And, it appears, the public is paying attention.”
Project SAM, has four main goals:
- To inform public policy with the science of today’s potent marijuana.
- To prevent the establishment of “Big Marijuana” — and a 21st-Century tobacco industry that would market marijuana to children.
- To promote research of marijuana’s medical properties and produce, non-smoked, non-psychoactive pharmacy-attainable medications.
- To have an adult conversation about reducing the unintended consequences of current marijuana policies, such as lifelong stigma due to arrest.
About Project SAM
Project SAM is a nonpartisan alliance of lawmakers, scientists and other concerned citizens who want to move beyond simplistic discussions of “incarceration versus legalization” when discussing marijuana use and instead focus on practical changes in marijuana policy that neither demonizes users nor legalizes the drug. Project SAM has affiliates in 27 states, including Washington, Oregon, New York, California, Colorado, Vermont, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, and other jurisdictions.