Survey: Recreational marijuana lacks support

Shawn Raymundo

A household survey recently conducted by Simon Sanchez High School students found that 60 percent of Guam’s adults oppose legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

The advanced placement government students at Sanchez High polled 1,048 individuals older than 21 years of age. Of the 632 respondents who objected to legalizing pot, about a third of them believed “it sends a bad message to our youth about drugs.”

Guam’s electorate passed the Joaquin “KC” Concepcion II Compassionate Cannabis Use Act in the 2014 General Election, legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Last month, Gov. Eddie Calvo introduced legislation proposing to legalize and tax the drug for adult recreational use.

The governor has recently come out in support of legalizing the drug, believing its potential to be a multi-million dollar a year industry on island would help financially sustain the medical program through tax revenue. Such taxes would also be directed to help support other critical agencies such as the public hospital, according to his measure.

A Gallup poll released October 2016 found 60 percent of the U.S. supports the legalization of marijuana — the “highest percentage of support recorded in 47-year trend.”

More than a third of those surveyed by the students were between the ages of 21 and 35 years old, while roughly a quarter were age 55 and older. Those between the age of 36 and 55 made up 41 percent of the respondents.

Nearly 60 percent of those in the younger demographic support marijuana being legalized. However, the majority in both the middle-age and elderly groups continue to support marijuana’s prohibition — 64 percent and 71 percent, respectively.

The study was comprised mostly of women (54 percent) who heavily opposed legalizing marijuana in a 66-percent to 34-percent split. Roughly 60 percent of men believed marijuana should be legalized.

Of those surveyed, 23 percent cited addictiveness as their reason to object marijuana; 21 percent believed there needs to be more public education; and 19 percent said it would increase criminal activity. The remaining 7 percent cited religious beliefs as their objection.