Poll finds over 80 Percent Of Wisconsinites Favor Marijuana To Treat Seriously Ill

It had long been suspected that a scientific poll of Wisconsin residents views on the issue of medicinal marijuana would yield results similar to scientific polls conducted nationally and in other U.S. locations, where the issue has consistently shown strong support, but state supporters had been unable to come up with the necessary funding to confirm this.

In early 2002, IMMLY and other Wisconsin medical marijuana advocates raised the funds and commissioned a question in the quarterly Wisconsin Trends survey, a scientific sampling conducted by Chamberlain Research Consultants of Madison Wisconsin. In the Wisconsin Trends survey, Chamberlain polls 600 people over 18 in all 72 counties of the state. The margin of error is +/- 3.97%.

The question asked was, "Would you support or oppose the Wisconsin State Legislature passing a law to allow seriously ill or terminally ill patients to use marijuana for medical purposes if supported by their physician?"

The poll found that statewide, 80.3% of respondents answered yes, 16% answered no, and 3.7% don't know/refused.

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CONCLUSIONS:

With 80.3% of respondents indicating they would like the legislature to pass a medicinal marijuana bill, this poll demonstrates a depth of support for medicinal marijuana that exceeds most of the national and state surveys conducted in the past, as well as the expectations of the Wisconsin medical marijuana advocates who commissioned and funded this survey. These numbers indicate that a clear majority of Wisconsinites support the legislature passing a medical marijuana bill.

With even the lowest numbers showing strong support, these results send a strong message that Wisconsinites see medical marijuana as a matter of compassion and public health, not criminal justice or partisan politics. The results say that giving patients legal access to medical marijuana is an issue that is not liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, or geographical, as some politicos have suggested. And these results show people who vote support medical marijuana, a significant factor in this election year, with the entire state assembly, half the state senate, the governor and attorney general's office, as well as all soon to be 8 congressional representatives all up for election in 2002.

In conclusion, the results of this scientific poll say that by a wide majority, in every category, the people of Wisconsin overwhelmingly support the Wisconsin State Legislature passing a law to allow seriously ill or terminally ill patients to use marijuana for medical purposes if supported by their physician.

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Updated Thursday, September 22, 2011