Latest Colorado poll showing majority support for marijuana legalization ballot initiative

As reported in this Denver Post article, headlined "Colorado marijuana legalization initiative leads in new poll," the latest poll data shows continued majority support for a state initiative to legalize marijuana in Colorado. Here are the details:

A majority of Colorado voters support a ballot measure to legalize limited possession of marijuana, according to a new Denver Post poll.

The poll found that the measure, Amendment 64, has the support of 51 percent of likely voters surveyed, compared with 40 percent opposed. Men favor the measure more than women, a common gender split on the issue. But 49 percent of women polled said they support the measure, compared with 39 percent who said they are opposed.

Across every income bracket and in every age group except those 65 and older, more voters told pollsters they support the measure than oppose it, though some of the leads fall within the 4-percentage-point margin of error. Voters younger than 35 support the measure by a margin of 30 percentage points, 61 percent to 31 percent, according to the poll.

The automated telephone poll was conducted Sept. 9-12 for The Post by New Jersey-based SurveyUSA. About 26 percent of those questioned were cellphone-only users, who were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone, tablet or other electronic device. Of voters included in the sample, 34 percent said they are Republicans, 34 percent said they are Democrats, and 30 percent identified as unaffiliated voters.

While several previous polls have found more support for Amendment 64 than opposition, the Post's survey is the first independent poll to find more than 50 percent support.

That may not hold until Election Day — support for a 2010 marijuana-legalization measure in California polled at 52 percent three months before the election, while the measure ultimately failed with 54 percent opposition. But the results suggest Colorado could be in position to become the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana possession for adults for recreational use.

Some recent and older related posts:

• Colorado the new "ground zero" for debates over pot prohibitions and policies
• "Medical Marijuana in Colorado and the Future of Marijuana Regulation in the United States"
• "Drugs, Dignity and Danger: Human Dignity as a Constitutional Constraint to Limit Overcriminalization"
• When and how might pot prohibition or federal pot policy enter the 2012 Prez campaign?
• VP candidate Paul Ryan says states should have right to legalize medical marijuana
• "Medical Marijuana in Colorado and the Future of Marijuana Regulation in the United States"
• A Beastly articulation of my (foolish?) hope candidate Romney might embrace the Right on Crime movement
• New astute articles on the modern realities of pot politics, policies and practices

UPDATE:  This article, written by Paul Armentano from the pro-legalization group NORML and headlined "Most Statewide Marijuana Initiatives Lead Solidly In Polls," reports that polls show support for the majority of state marijuana initiatives on the ballot this election year. The piece starts with this helpful review of all the initiatives:

Four of the six statewide marijuana initiatives appearing on the November 2012 ballot are solidly favored among likely voters.

Voters in six states –- Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Montana, Oregon, and Washington –- will be deciding on marijuana-specific ballot measures this November.

In Massachusetts, voters will decide on Question 3, a statewide proposal that seeks to allow for the physician-recommended possession and state-licensed distribution of cannabis for therapeutic purposes.  Arkansas voters will decide on a similar measure, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act of 2012.  Montana voters will decide on Initiative Referendum 124, which is a referendum on Senate Bill 423 -- a 2011 measure that seeks to restrict the state’s 2004, voter approved medical cannabis law.

Colorado voters will decide on Amendment 64, which immediately allows for the legal possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and/or the cultivation of up to six cannabis plants by those persons age 21 and over.  Longer-term, the measure seeks to establish regulations governing the commercial production and distribution of marijuana by licensed retailers.  Oregon voters will decide on Measure 80, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, which provides for the state-licensed production and retail sale of cannabis to adults.  The measure does not impose state-licensing or taxation requirements upon those who wish to cultivate cannabis for non-commercial purposes.  Finally, in Washington, voters will decide on Initiative 502, which seeks to regulate the production and sale of limited amounts of marijuana for adults.  The measure also removes criminal penalties specific to the adult possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for personal use.