This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Most California voters do not want to legalize the use of recreational pot, according to a new survey.
A poll conducted by USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times found that while 80 percent of voters support the use of medical marijuana for patients with severe illness, only 46 percent said that they would support it for recreational use.
If people were to vote again today on Prop. 19, a 2010 initiative to legalize pot, it would likely be defeated, according to the report. The survey found that opinions have not measurably changed.
When broken down by region, the Bay Area was the only place where a majority of 55 percent favored pot legalization, compared to 42 percent in Southern California and 49 percent in Los Angeles County, according to the Times.
Ironically, despite California's reputation as being the cradle of the marijuana movement, the report states, it lags in its support for legalization. A Gallup poll in October showed that nationwide support for legalizing pot was up to 50 percent. When that poll started in 1969, only 12 percent of Americans supported it. A Rasmussen Reports survey also showed this month that 56 percent of voters favored the regulation of pot sales like alcohol and tobacco.
