Poll by Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation Finds Overwhelming Support for Licensed Dispensaries

– Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation, a coalition of medical marijuana patients and providers supporting responsible regulation of medical marijuana, today released a statewide poll illustrating that Colorado voters overwhelmingly favor regulating state-licensed dispensaries to serve persons who are suffering from debilitating medical conditions.

By a margin of two-to-one, 64 percent of voters said they would approve proposals that would establish state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to cultivate and provide marijuana to patients with doctors’ recommendations. Just 32 percent said they would reject it.

“This is a powerful endorsement by Coloradans that medical marijuana dispensaries are valid businesses that need to be regulated in order to protect patients and providers,” said Matt Brown, Executive Director of Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation. “As with any other industry, it is now critical that we develop tax and fee structures and put the appropriate regulations in place to ensure these businesses can responsibly serve the needs of their patients and the community.”

Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation formed earlier this year to provide a leading voice for the emerging medical marijuana business community. The coalition supports the creation of reasonable regulations that protect patient choice and incorporate best practices within existing regulatory structures.

“Our campaign goal is to work with all parties to ensure safe, responsible access to and use of medical marijuana,” said Brown. “Colorado has the opportunity to take the lead and set the standard for what a responsible medical marijuana industry should look like.”
The telephone survey of 500 Colorado voters who are likely to participate in the 2010 general election was conducted November 6-9, 2009, using a statistically valid random sample drawn from a current list of registered voters.

Other survey results found wide support for a state-licensed dispensary system within every major demographic group:
• A total of 64 percent of both men and women said they would support the dispensary system model.
• A majority of registered Republicans (53%), Independents (64%) and Democrats (75%), supported the proposed dispensary system.
• A majority of people within every age group backed the proposal, with the highest levels of support among the over 55 (64%) and under 35 (71%) age groups.
• White voters (65%) supported the proposal at a slightly higher rate than non-white voters (61%).
• Metro Denver was the most supportive area in the state (69%), along with Denver (68%) and the South Front Range (64%). Fifty-two percent of voters in the Western Slope were supportive.
The survey can be found at http://rbistrategies.com/news/survey-research-regulation-medical-ma...