Greater than 80% of Texans are in favor of medical hashish, whereas a smaller majority backs leisure pot, in accordance with a new survey.
The ballot, which comes by way of the Passion College of Public Affairs on the College of Houston, discovered that 82% of Texans assist legalizing marijuana for medicinal use. Sixty-seven % of Texans assist laws that will make the leisure use of marijuana for any goal authorized for these age 21 and older, according to the poll.
“Attitudes about the usage of marijuana have been evolving over the previous few many years, and we discovered particularly robust assist for increasing the usage of medical marijuana,” stated Renée Cross, senior govt director and researcher on the Passion College, as quoted by Houston Public Media. “However a majority of Texans across-the-board – throughout partisan, generational and racial and ethnic strains – additionally stated they assist legalization for leisure use.”
Medical hashish is authorized within the Lone Star State, however the legislation is very restrictive. Qualifying sufferers are solely allowed hashish merchandise that include 1% THC or much less. This system can be suffering from a dearth of dispensaries, with solely three new licenses issued prior to now three years.
Final month, the Texas Division of Public Security stated that it was attempting to mitigate that because it started accepting purposes for brand new dispensary licenses.
“An announcement detailing the method for software acceptance and the following approval course of to concern extra licenses will probably be made at a later date. The division will concern solely the variety of licenses needed to make sure affordable statewide entry to, and the provision of, low-THC hashish for sufferers registered within the compassionate-use registry,” the division stated in its announcement final month.
Leisure marijuana, in the meantime, stays prohibited.
The polling knowledge from the College of Houston exhibits robust assist throughout a number of demographics for each.
Among the many 82% who say they assist medical hashish, 56% stated they’re “strongly” in favor of the coverage.
Right here’s extra from the cross-tabs:
“85% of Latino, 83% of Black and 80% of white Texans assist this [medical cannabis] laws. This contains 60% of Latinos and 55% of whites who strongly assist it. 83% of girls and 80% of males assist this laws. 93% of Democrats, 79% of Independents and 73% of Republicans assist this laws. This contains 71% of Democrats who strongly assist it.”
As for leisure pot, 47% stated they’re “strongly” in favor.
“When requested about preferences relating to the sale and use of marijuana in Texas, 54% of Texans go for laws below which marijuana could be authorized for medical and leisure use and 28% of Texans go for laws below which marijuana could be authorized for medical use solely. Lastly, 18% of Texans favor the present legislative established order below which marijuana use for both leisure or medical functions is prohibited in Texas,” the pollsters wrote.
Mark P. Jones, senior analysis fellow on the Passion College and political science fellow at Rice College’s Baker Institute for Public Coverage, observed some partisan and spiritual division within the polling numbers.
“A major minority of Texans, particularly those that determine as Republican, Impartial and born-again Christian, say they personally don’t favor easing state rules,” Jones stated, as quoted by Houston Public Media. “Virtually one out of 5 Texans, or 18%, stated they would like no change to the state’s present marijuana legal guidelines.”
Cross, in the meantime, envisions reform for the state’s medical hashish legislation.
“If something, I believe we’ll see the ailments or sicknesses allowed in all probability expanded,” she stated, as quoted by Houston Public Media. “So in essence, it should make it simpler to get a prescription for medical marijuana in Texas.”