Poll Finds 54% of Washington Voters Favor Marijuana Legalization Measure

A new poll finds 54 percent of voters in Washington state say they are in favor of a measure that would legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use among adults 21 and older. Colorado and Oregon voters will consider similar measures, but polls in those states suggest they are less likely than Washington’s initiative to be passed, according to The Seattle Times.

The new poll found 38 percent of voters oppose the Washington measure, known as Initiative 502 (I-502), while about 7 percent of voters said they were undecided.

A recent poll in Colorado found 48 percent of voters favored legalization, but support has been weakening. The Oregon measure is far behind in the polls, the article notes.

Some of the fiercest critics of the Washington measure are medical marijuana users, who are concerned with the drugged driving provision of the initiative. They say the new legal standard of impairment the law would create is a risk for regular marijuana users, because THC—the main psychoactive ingredient—can stay in the bloodstream for days, and would be detected by a blood test whether or not they are impaired.

Some former law enforcement officials have endorsed the measure, pointing to the drugged driving provision, as well as promised funding for drug and alcohol treatment programs that would come from taxes on legalized marijuana.