Zogby Poll

Nationwide, 46% supported making marijuana policy a state option, while 53% did on the East Coast and 55% on the West Coast. In the South and Midwest, by contrast, 55% opposed it. In partisan terms, support was strongest among Democrats, with 59% in favor, while only 33% of Republicans favored letting states set their own marijuana laws. Independents split, with 44% in favor and 49% against.

Support for letting states tax and regulate marijuana also divides along religious and age group lines, sometimes in a surprising fashion. Protestants were least likely to support state marijuana reform (38%) -- and only 26% of "born again" people -- while 48% of Catholics, 60% of non-believers, and 70% of Jews approved.

More unexpected were the differences among age groups. While 18-29 year-olds unsurprisingly strongly favored state regulation (66%), the opinion of 30-49 year-olds was the reverse, with 58% opposed. Favorable opinion rose again in the 50-65 group before declining in the post-65 group. Commissioned by the NORML Foundation, the Zogby poll is based on interviews with 1,004 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 3.2%.

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