[ShiningSkull]

Poll Reveals San Diegans Want To Regulate Marijuana Dispensaries, Not Eliminate Them

Medical marijuana: Legal as long as you don't actually buy it anywhere?

By Steve Elliott,
Chronic City, Health, Law & Order
Thu., Oct. 29 2009 @ 12:30PM

​It's a classic case of disconnect between public policy and public opinion. As District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis continues with her medical marijuana dispensary crackdown in San Diego, a new poll indicates that a hefty majority of city residents favor leaving the pot shops open and regulating them.

About 77 percent of San Diego's adult residents agree that the city has an obligation to ensure convenient access to medical marijuana and 69 percent say the drug should be treated like any other prescription drug.

Only 9 percent want to completely ban the dispensaries.

Dumanis received heavy publicity for saying there are "no such things" as legal marijuana dispensaries, despite state law. A voter initiative, Prop 215, legalized medical marijuana in California in 1996, and SB 420 clarified and expanded the law in 2003.

According to president John Nienstedt and research analyst Elizabeth Shield of poll-takers Competitive Edge, San Diegans, even while supporting safe access for medical marijuana patients, tend to oppose legalizing recreational marijuana use. Forty-seven percent say they would vote against a measure to legalize and 40 percent would support it. Eleven percent say they are unsure how they'd vote.

Contrary to the picture painted by Dumanis of residents being unhappy about the prevalence of dispensaries in their neighborhoods, 43 percent have no idea whether there is a dispensary near them. Only 8 percent are aware of a medical marijuana dispensary in their neighborhood, and 48 percent believe their neighborhood has no dispensary.

The regulations with the strongest support -- more than 80 percent -- among San Diegans are 1) requiring employees and managers of dispensaries to be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal background check by law enforcement; and 2) requiring dispensaries to be 1,000 feet from schools and youth facilities.

Also receiving strong support, with more than two-thirds of those polled favoring, were requiring notification letters to be sent to nearby residents during the dispensary permitting process; prohibiting dispensaries from locating in residentially zoned areas; and requiring dispensaries to be non-profit organizations.

More than half (57 percent) disagree that medical marijuana dispensaries are associated with Mexican drug cartels, an accusation heard frequently from anti-pot zealots like Dumanis.

Almost half (45 percent) of those polled admit having tried marijuana at some point in their lives. Of those who have tried pot, 28 percent admitted using it in the past year. Of those who have used pot in the past year, 43 percent say they are medicinal users. Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of those who say they use pot medically buy it at a dispensary or via a door-to-door delivery service.

The poll results will be presented on Friday to an 11-member advisory task force created by the San Diego City Council to help establish guidelines for the use of medical marijuana in the city.

San Diego, like many cities, has no land-use guidelines controlling where marijuana collectives or cooperatives may or may not be located.

In September, at least 33 people operating marijuana dispensaries were arrested in San Diego County raids that also shut down 14 storefront dispensaries, including 11 in San Diego. Dumanis assembled SWAT-style strike forces of San Diego Police, San Diego County Sheriff's officers, DEA agents, and IRS agents to descend on the dispensaries, make arrests, seize cash and weed, and disrupt the local medical marijuana distribution system.

The poll, done on behalf of keepcomingback.com, a Web site for substance abuse and addiction problems, queried 505 randomly selected adults and was conducted Oct. 14-17 by the aforementioned San Diego-based Competitive Edge Research and Communication. Competitive Edge has worked in the past for news organizations and political candidates.


Chronic City: Poll Reveals San Diegans Want To Regulate Marijuana Dispensaries, Not Eliminate Them - San Francisco News - The Snitch

Go to the link above to download a pdf of the survey itself.

[peacefulIRIEfeelin]

thats hard to believe in such a conservative city. I wonder who took the poll. was it just MMJ patients? i live in sd and there is nothing but families and religious nuts everywhere. thats why its always such a problem here.

[ShiningSkull]

Originally Posted by peacefulIRIEfeelin

thats hard to believe in such a conservative city. I wonder who took the poll. was it just MMJ patients? i live in sd and there is nothing but families and religious nuts everywhere. thats why its always such a problem here.

The poll, done on behalf of keepcomingback.com, a Web site for substance abuse and addiction problems, queried 505 randomly selected adults and was conducted Oct. 14-17 by the aforementioned San Diego-based Competitive Edge Research and Communication. Competitive Edge has worked in the past for news organizations and political candidates.

[alleycat]

There's lots of libertarians in Orange County and San Diego that would vote against shutting down dispensaries. (There's liberals here too, the media just ignores them.) Also the younger generations here are not as influenced by the propoganda, and many here realize that in this economy, it would be stupid to shut down all of the dispensaries (rather than regulate them).

[ShiningSkull]

Another story about the San Diego poll:

Poll shows substantial support for marijuana dispensaries

Political - San Diego Region
BY SDNR Staff
Thursday, 29 October 2009 11:43

As a task force decides the fate of San Diego’s marijuana dispensaries, a locally-based substance abuse group wanted to gauge residents’ reaction to the divisive issue. As it turns out, San Diego residents are generally supportive of medical marijuana use.

In a poll released yesterday, the San Diego-based KeepComingBack.org, found that 77 percent of those surveyed believed that the city should provide medical marijuana users with easy access to dispensaries. Despite heavy support for dispensaries, nearly two-thirds of the respondents said they do not want dispensaries if the city and police cannot heavily control or regulate them.

“This poll delivers a clear message to City Hall-San Diego residents want medical marijuana dispensaries to follow tough rules that will keep their neighborhoods safe,” said former San Diego mayoral candidate Steve Francis, who also is the co-founder of KeepComingBack.com.

The poll, which was conducted by Competitive Edge Research & Communication (CERC), found that a strong majority (64 percent) of those polled believed dispensaries should not be opened in residential neighborhoods.

CERC surveyed 505 adults within the City of San Diego. Francis, who also funded the poll, said he will present the poll results to the City Council’s Medical Marijuana Task Force tomorrow.

Poll shows substantial support for marijuana dispensaries

[Smilodon]

One of the cool things about this poll is that roughly 75% were over 34 years old and had at least some college. So much for this movement being driven by all you young drug addicts, lol.

[DankJews]

Hahah Well SD Is A Tough Area To Live In This Situation But We Have Wonderful People Like Smilodon And Others Who Are Going To Create The Change For This Wonderful County!

.:StayMedicated:.