Most Californians want marijuana stores in their communities, new poll shows

Three years after California voters legalized the sale of recreational marijuana, 68% say it has been a “good thing” and, although the vast majority of cities have outlawed pot shops, most voters want their municipalities to permit the stores, according to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times.

The poll found support for legalization has increased since 2016, when 57% of voters approved Proposition 64, which legalized growing, selling and possessing cannabis for recreational use.

“There hasn’t been any real buyer’s remorse about the initiative. If anything, support has gone up,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Berkeley IGS poll.

Most Democrats and voters from all age groups said legalization has been a good thing. Groups that said legalization has been a bad thing include Republicans and evangelical Christians.

Though 63% of all Latino voters surveyed said legalization has been a good thing, only 37.9% of Latinos for whom Spanish is the dominant language feel that way.

DiCamillo said a possible explanation for the divide could be that Spanish-speaking Latinos tend to be older and more conservative than their younger English-speaking counterparts. [Read more at The Los Angeles Times]