Legal Marijuana: Pa. Voters Say No

Pennsylvanians don’t want marijuana legalized, but they favor letting adults use it for medical purposes, that’s according to the latest Franklin & Marshall College Poll.

Poll Results

The poll found that 55 percent of respondents said no to making marijuana legal, but that is down from a 2010 study, where 60 percent said no and a 2006 study where 72 percent said no.

Of those polled, 36 said yes, they support legalizing marijuana, which is up from 33 percent in 2010 and 22 percent in 2006.

When it comes to using marijuana for medical purposes, as recommended by a doctor, 51 percent of those polled strongly favored it, and 31 percent somewhat favored it. On the other side, 13 percent strongly opposed and 3 percent somewhat opposed. The results were not very different from the 2010 and 2006 results.

The Franklin & Marshall College Poll interviewed 622 Pennsylvania voters between January 29 and February 3. The margin of error is reported as plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

What About Lawmakers?

State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery/Delaware) released a statement saying he will introduce a bill this session to legalize marijuana.

“In addition to raising millions of dollars per year from tax revenue, Pennsylvania would save more than $325 million per year by legalizing marijuana. The most conservative estimates say the revenue generated by taxing the sales of marijuana would amount to at least $24 million per year. Legalizing marijuana and taxing its sale could provide a multi-million dollar reoccurring revenue source that our state could tap into for years to come,” Leach said in a release.

Leach said under his bill, marijuana would be treated and regulated similar to alcohol.

What Do You Think?

Do you think marijuana should be legalized? What about for medical purposes? Share your opinions in the comments area below.