HomeLatest NewsLatest Illinois Voters Support Medical Marijuana Legislation by Wide Margin, Poll Says
Illinois Voters Support Medical Marijuana Legislation by Wide Margin, Poll Says
Polls Conducted Statewide and in DuPage, Rockford, Springfield, Champaign/Bloomington and St. Louis Suburbs.
CONTACT: Dan Bernath, MPP assistant director of communications, (202) 462-5747 ex. 115
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS — Illinois residents favor allowing seriously and terminally ill patients to use marijuana for medical purposes by a 68-27 percent margin according to a new poll.
The poll by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, Inc. and paid for by the Marijuana Policy Project was conducted by phone and surveyed 625 randomly selected registered Illinois voters between Feb. 9 and Feb. 16.
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The survey asked whether respondents believe “seriously and terminally ill patients should be allowed to use and grow medical marijuana for personal use if their doctors recommended it.”
Support was strong across the state, ranging from 70 percent in Chicago to 65 percent in downstate areas.
Majority support for allowing the use of medical marijuana by seriously ill patients was found among Republicans, Independents and Democrats. Democrats favored medical marijuana access by an overwhelming 82-14 percent margin, while Republicans supported the idea by a smaller, but still decisive, 54-41 percent margin. Independents were also strongly favorable, supporting medical marijuana by a margin of 68-27 percent.
The poll results could have a significant impact in the General Assembly this year. Bills to allow the medical use of marijuana have been introduced in both chambers of the General Assembly. A similar bill failed last year in the State Senate, but the latest poll indicates that supporting this years’ efforts could be politically helpful to legislators.
"These numbers prove what we've known all along: Illinoisans see this as a matter of compassion and common sense," said John Walker, director of Illinois Compassion Action Network, an organization of patients, doctors and advocates working to pass the state's medical marijuana law. "Our elected representatives should take note of what their constituents are telling them about the need for a law to protect our seriously ill citizens who rely on medical marijuana for some small relief from their debilitating symptoms."
Forty-nine percent of those polled said they would be more likely to support a candidate who voted for medical marijuana, while 20 percent indicated they would be less likely to support such a candidate. Twenty-six percent said a legislator's vote on the issue would make no difference in their likelihood of supporting that legislator, and 5 percent were unsure.
During last year’s Senate debate some legislators expressed concerns that allowing sick and dying patients to use marijuana would send the wrong message about drug use. Voters, however, do not appear to share that concern. When asked whether allowing the medical use of marijuana “should be allowed” or “sends the wrong message,” 67 percent of Illinois voters said “medical marijuana should be allowed to the seriously ill,” while 23 percent said it “sends the wrong message.”
Among Republicans, 53 percent said marijuana should be allowed to the seriously ill, while 38 percent felt that doing so would “send the wrong message."
In addition to statewide results, Mason-Dixon conducted random telephone surveys of 400 registered voters in five regions outside of Chicago on the subject of medical marijuana Feb. 9 to 11. The polls confirmed that support for medical marijuana legislation is strong throughout the state.
Support for medical marijuana legislation ranged from a 71-24 percent favorable margin in the St. Louis suburbs to a 56-37 percent margin of support in heavily Republican DuPage County. Springfield area voters favored such legislation by a margin of 69-24 percent, Rockford metro residents by 65-28 percent and Champaign/Bloomington area voters by 62-33 percent.
The medical marijuana bills now before the General Assembly have been introduced by Sens. John Cullerton (D- Chicago), Donn E. Trotter (D-Chicago) and Rep. Angelo (“Skip”) Saviano (R- River Grove).
Full poll results, including margins of error for each poll, are available online at www.mpp.org/states/illinois/2008poll.
With more than 23,000 members and 180,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org .
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