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Most county voters support California's 9-year-old medical marijuana law and oppose San Diego County supervisors' plan to sue to overturn it, according to a survey released Monday. In addition, the survey said most respondents would vote to replace the supervisors over the issue.
The $15,000 telephone survey of 500 randomly selected county voters ---- 100 from each of the county's five districts ---- was commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project, a national nonprofit group that wants to decriminalize all marijuana use.
County supervisors immediately suggested the survey was politically motivated by a pro-marijuana organization, and repeated that federal law still considers marijuana an illegal drug without medical benefit, and should take precedence over California's law.
"What do they say? 'Figures lie and liars figure?'" said Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, who has served as the board's chairwoman for the last year. "My first reaction is they've asked more people who support marijuana use."
Marijuana Policy Project officials, meanwhile, said the survey was an objective and valid sampling of the county's 1.379 million registered voters. They also said the group was considering mounting an initiative drive in San Diego County to ask voters to impose term limits on county supervisors. Sixty-two percent of respondents said they'd vote to replace their supervisors if they knew they supported overturning the medical marijuana law.
"The message is very clear," project spokesman Bruce Mirken said, "the voters don't want the board of supervisors to pursue this (lawsuit). They're comfortable with Proposition 215 (California's medical marijuana law). And they feel that rather than conducting a war on patients, the board should be defending the patients there are in the county."
Supervisors announced in December that they planned to sue the state to overturn Prop. 215, California's "Compassionate Use Act."
The law, passed in 1996, said "seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes" when recommended by a doctor.
San Diego County supervisors ---- who have steadfastly called the law a "bad" one that could increase marijuana abuse ---- voted in November to defy a separate state law that ordered the county to create an identification card and registration program for medical marijuana users.
In December, the board voted unanimously in closed session to sue to overturn Prop. 215 itself, on the basis that it should be pre-empted by federal law.
Slater-Price and the other supervisors said they could not in good conscience support Prop. 215 because federal drug enforcement agents could still arrest and prosecute California residents regardless of the state's law.
"I feel derelict in my duty to tell you it's OK, to do something when you could then go out and be arrested," Slater-Price said.
In fact, federal agents raided 13 San Diego-area marijuana dispensaries Dec. 12, including two in North County, and seized large quantities of the drug, computers and records in one of the largest crackdowns of its kind in the state.
Federal officials said the dispensaries were "fronts" for distributing the drug.
Marijuana advocacy groups called the raids outrageous, cowardly acts of an administration out of touch with voters.
The Marijuana Policy Project's survey, released Monday, reported:
- 67 percent of respondents supported Prop. 215.
- 70 percent said the county should follow state law and create the identification card program.
- 78 percent of respondents said supervisors "should not be wasting taxpayer money suing the state to try to overturn California's medical marijuana law."
However, some of those numbers could be misleading.
Sal Vescera, an analyst with the opinion and research firm that conducted the survey ---- Seattle-based Evans McDonough Company ---- said the survey had a 4.38 percent margin of error, meaning the real percentages could swing by that margin in either direction.
In addition, the overall percentages of support were combinations of strong and mild support.
For example, of the 67 percent who reported supporting Prop. 215, only 44 percent "strongly" supported the law. Another 23 percent "somewhat" supported the law, yielding the 67 percent overall support.
Likewise, 50 percent strongly agreed that supervisors should create the identification card program; while 20 percent "somewhat agreed."
However, 62 percent said supervisors "should not be wasting taxpayer money suing the state to overturn California's medical marijuana law. Sixteen percent "somewhat agreed."
Complete Title: Marijuana Group's Survey Says Voters Oppose Supervisors' Lawsuit
Source: North County Times (CA)
Author: Gig Conaughton, Staff Writer
Published: January 10, 2006
Copyright: 2006 North County Times
Contact: editor@nctimes.com
Website: North County News - San Diego Union Tribune
The $15,000 telephone survey of 500 randomly selected county voters ---- 100 from each of the county's five districts ---- was commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project, a national nonprofit group that wants to decriminalize all marijuana use.
County supervisors immediately suggested the survey was politically motivated by a pro-marijuana organization, and repeated that federal law still considers marijuana an illegal drug without medical benefit, and should take precedence over California's law.
"What do they say? 'Figures lie and liars figure?'" said Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, who has served as the board's chairwoman for the last year. "My first reaction is they've asked more people who support marijuana use."
Marijuana Policy Project officials, meanwhile, said the survey was an objective and valid sampling of the county's 1.379 million registered voters. They also said the group was considering mounting an initiative drive in San Diego County to ask voters to impose term limits on county supervisors. Sixty-two percent of respondents said they'd vote to replace their supervisors if they knew they supported overturning the medical marijuana law.
"The message is very clear," project spokesman Bruce Mirken said, "the voters don't want the board of supervisors to pursue this (lawsuit). They're comfortable with Proposition 215 (California's medical marijuana law). And they feel that rather than conducting a war on patients, the board should be defending the patients there are in the county."
Supervisors announced in December that they planned to sue the state to overturn Prop. 215, California's "Compassionate Use Act."
The law, passed in 1996, said "seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes" when recommended by a doctor.
San Diego County supervisors ---- who have steadfastly called the law a "bad" one that could increase marijuana abuse ---- voted in November to defy a separate state law that ordered the county to create an identification card and registration program for medical marijuana users.
In December, the board voted unanimously in closed session to sue to overturn Prop. 215 itself, on the basis that it should be pre-empted by federal law.
Slater-Price and the other supervisors said they could not in good conscience support Prop. 215 because federal drug enforcement agents could still arrest and prosecute California residents regardless of the state's law.
"I feel derelict in my duty to tell you it's OK, to do something when you could then go out and be arrested," Slater-Price said.
In fact, federal agents raided 13 San Diego-area marijuana dispensaries Dec. 12, including two in North County, and seized large quantities of the drug, computers and records in one of the largest crackdowns of its kind in the state.
Federal officials said the dispensaries were "fronts" for distributing the drug.
Marijuana advocacy groups called the raids outrageous, cowardly acts of an administration out of touch with voters.
The Marijuana Policy Project's survey, released Monday, reported:
- 67 percent of respondents supported Prop. 215.
- 70 percent said the county should follow state law and create the identification card program.
- 78 percent of respondents said supervisors "should not be wasting taxpayer money suing the state to try to overturn California's medical marijuana law."
However, some of those numbers could be misleading.
Sal Vescera, an analyst with the opinion and research firm that conducted the survey ---- Seattle-based Evans McDonough Company ---- said the survey had a 4.38 percent margin of error, meaning the real percentages could swing by that margin in either direction.
In addition, the overall percentages of support were combinations of strong and mild support.
For example, of the 67 percent who reported supporting Prop. 215, only 44 percent "strongly" supported the law. Another 23 percent "somewhat" supported the law, yielding the 67 percent overall support.
Likewise, 50 percent strongly agreed that supervisors should create the identification card program; while 20 percent "somewhat agreed."
However, 62 percent said supervisors "should not be wasting taxpayer money suing the state to overturn California's medical marijuana law. Sixteen percent "somewhat agreed."
Complete Title: Marijuana Group's Survey Says Voters Oppose Supervisors' Lawsuit
Source: North County Times (CA)
Author: Gig Conaughton, Staff Writer
Published: January 10, 2006
Copyright: 2006 North County Times
Contact: editor@nctimes.com
Website: North County News - San Diego Union Tribune
