Customers peruse cannabis products at a dispensary in Los Angeles last year.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
SACRAMENTO —
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.
The pot initiative, which was championed by Gavin Newsom before he was elected governor, gave power to municipalities to ban marijuana businesses. Some three-fourths of cities in the state have prohibited stores that sell cannabis products, which the industry says has stunted the state’s legal market.
State officials originally estimated Proposition 64 might lead to the licensing of as many as 6,000 cannabis shops in the first few years, but so far it has issued permits to just 601 retail stores and 274 home-delivery businesses.
As a result, the black market remains robust, and tax revenue from pot sales is far below original projections.
The poll found that 63% of California voters favor their city giving permits to cannabis stores, with support in all areas of the state, including 64% in both Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area. The lowest support for pot shops was in the Inland Empire, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties, at 54%.
Republican voters were the only partisan group that opposed cities permitting pot shops in their communities.
The poll results were heartening to Lindsay Robinson, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Assn.
“With this broad spectrum of support, it is critical that California’s local municipalities honor the will of the voters, overturn their bans and give their constituents access to tested and regulated cannabis,” Robinson said.
The survey findings were also encouraging to Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), who viewed them as validation for a bill he introduced this year that would require cannabis stores to be approved in cities where a majority of voters supported Proposition 64. He intends to pursue the legislation again in 2020.
“A majority of voters supported Prop. 64, so I’m not surprised that a solid majority of Californians also want their cities to allow cannabis retailers,” Ting said. “Providing safe access to cannabis products helps deter crime, creates good jobs and increases tax revenue.”
The bill, which was temporarily shelved amid opposition from cities, counties and law enforcement, would require one licensed cannabis store for every six restaurants and bars with liquor licenses, or one for every 15,000 residents, whichever results in fewer pot shops in an area.
Ting’s proposal would have led to 1,195 more cannabis retailers opening up shop in the 392 incorporated cities and unincorporated county areas that supported Proposition 64, according to a study by private consultants Applied Development Economics Inc.
The poll results have not swayed the League of California Cities, which noted that Proposition 64 specifically provides for local control, allowing cities and counties to determine where licenses are approved.
The league remains opposed to the Ting bill, according to Charles Harvey, its legislative representative, who said the proposal ”strips residents of their ability to decide what is appropriate for their community — a premise that directly contradicts the framework understood by the voters when approving Prop. 64.”
Ting said he remains committed to advancing the legislation “in order to shut down the illicit businesses that are currently hurting our communities.”
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.
The pot initiative, which was championed by Gavin Newsom before he was elected governor, gave power to municipalities to ban marijuana businesses. Some three-fourths of cities in the state have prohibited stores that sell cannabis products, which the industry says has stunted the state’s legal market.
State officials originally estimated Proposition 64 might lead to the licensing of as many as 6,000 cannabis shops in the first few years, but so far it has issued permits to just 601 retail stores and 274 home-delivery businesses.
As a result, the black market remains robust, and tax revenue from pot sales is far below original projections.
The poll found that 63% of California voters favor their city giving permits to cannabis stores, with support in all areas of the state, including 64% in both Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area. The lowest support for pot shops was in the Inland Empire, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties, at 54%.
Republican voters were the only partisan group that opposed cities permitting pot shops in their communities.
The poll results were heartening to Lindsay Robinson, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Assn.
“With this broad spectrum of support, it is critical that California’s local municipalities honor the will of the voters, overturn their bans and give their constituents access to tested and regulated cannabis,” Robinson said.
The survey findings were also encouraging to Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), who viewed them as validation for a bill he introduced this year that would require cannabis stores to be approved in cities where a majority of voters supported Proposition 64. He intends to pursue the legislation again in 2020.
“A majority of voters supported Prop. 64, so I’m not surprised that a solid majority of Californians also want their cities to allow cannabis retailers,” Ting said. “Providing safe access to cannabis products helps deter crime, creates good jobs and increases tax revenue.”
The bill, which was temporarily shelved amid opposition from cities, counties and law enforcement, would require one licensed cannabis store for every six restaurants and bars with liquor licenses, or one for every 15,000 residents, whichever results in fewer pot shops in an area.
Ting’s proposal would have led to 1,195 more cannabis retailers opening up shop in the 392 incorporated cities and unincorporated county areas that supported Proposition 64, according to a study by private consultants Applied Development Economics Inc.
The poll results have not swayed the League of California Cities, which noted that Proposition 64 specifically provides for local control, allowing cities and counties to determine where licenses are approved.
The league remains opposed to the Ting bill, according to Charles Harvey, its legislative representative, who said the proposal ”strips residents of their ability to decide what is appropriate for their community — a premise that directly contradicts the framework understood by the voters when approving Prop. 64.”
Ting said he remains committed to advancing the legislation “in order to shut down the illicit businesses that are currently hurting our communities.”
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