New Data Shows California 2014 Voters Ready for Marijuana Legalization Now

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 5, 2013) - Americans for Policy Reform (AFPR), the group behind the 2014 California Marijuana Legalization Initiative, the Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act (MCLR), released an executive summary of their latest survey data showing 64% of California voters want to legalize marijuana in 2014.

Over the past 3 months AFPR has conducted over a dozen Google Consumer Surveys to gauge voter support for legalization in the California 2014 election. The surveys helped decide the name for the Initiative, properly identified several points of concern and confusion among voters as well as other critical issues such as the 18 vs. 21 year old age debate.

In a survey of registered voters in California who plan to vote in the 2014 election, the results show 64.1% in favor of legalizing marijuana in the 2014 election. With nearly two-thirds favoring a proposal to control, legalize and generate revenue from marijuana in 2014, and only 19.5% surveying any opposition at all, California is ready for marijuana legalization. With 16.3% surveyed as undecided, positive acceptance will only increase. These results confirm additional surveys conducted by Pew, Gallup and Tulchin Research showing unprecedented support for marijuana legalization in California and across the nation.

At the recent Drug Policy Alliance Conference, DPA executive director Ethan Nadelmann stated that the world has hit "the tipping point on marijuana," and that the "[DPA has] been saying wait for 2016, but we seem to be changing our minds."

Activists in several states are saying they can win now, and AFPR's data confirms California is ready for 2014. Graham Boyd, counsel to Progressive Insurance founder Peter Lewis, was also quoted at the DPA conference saying, "The main thing is growing public support. I think you can look at the list of 2016 states and argue that any of them could go in 2014. If the public is ready in 2014 and something happens before 2016 and that lift tails off, we may find ourselves saying we missed the wave."

Marijuana legalization in California has growing support from politicians such as Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom who recently told the Sacramento Bee a measure could be on the ballot in November 2014. Newsom recently wrote, "It is time for California to decriminalize, tax and regulate marijuana and decide who sells it, who can buy it legally, and for how much. When California became the first state to approve medical marijuana, we led the nation on progressive drug policies, and now it is time to lead again." Newsom, who is not a marijuana user himself, says that the cost of marijuana enforcement is too high and disproportionately affects minorities.

"It's time to pass and implement these laws now," states Dave Hodges, proponent of the Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act (MCLR). "If we do not pass legalization in 2014, California may not see legalized adult-use marijuana until 2018 or later."

MCLR was created to accomplish what the California legislature and previous initiatives have been unable to achieve: a fair, transparent set of enforceable guidelines that addresses the concerns of citizens, communities, local law enforcement, the courts and federal authorities. 

MCLR was drafted using an open source process of advocates and the general public throughout the State; input from all was welcome. All ideas and suggestions were submitted for expert legal and legislative review and formulated into the final language recently filed with the State of California.

"We call on all reform supporters to work together toward legalization in 2014," said John Lee of AFPR. "We have the language filed, and remain open to working with all others to avoid the problems of 2012."

AFPR encourages all marijuana reform supporters to contact John Lee at john@afpr.us. More information and the full text of MCLR is located at www.MCLR.us

Executive Summary:
http://afpr.us/AFPR-Executive-Summary-2014.pdf
http://bit.ly/afpr2014