People of Faith CT

Poll: Decriminalize Small Amounts of Pot
By Ken Dixon
STAFF WRITER

HARTFORD -- Connecticut voters support decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, but they oppose allowing grocery stores to sell wine and spirits, according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll.

The poll, released March 10 also shows that voters support Sunday liquor sales, which has been proposed to create new sources of state tax revenue.

When asked whether they would favor a law similar to the statewide ballot initiative passed in November in Massachusetts on marijuana decriminalization, voters approved the proposal 58 percent to 37 percent.

Douglas Schwartz, director of the poll, said it was the first time the poll has asked voters in any state their feelings about decriminalizing marijuana. "There is interest," he said of the support for reducing penalties for possession.

Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said Tuesday that the poll reinforces legislation he has proposed this year that would mirror Massachusetts' marijuana-possession law. The law made possession of less than an ounce of marijuana an infraction punishable by a small fine similar to a traffic ticket, rather than a misdemeanor that must be adjudicated and creates a police record.

"This is pretty substantial," Looney said of the 58 percent approval rating. "The change in Massachusetts was passed with over 60 percent of voters in favor. Clearly, the public sees this as a reasonable idea to prioritize within the criminal justice system."

-Looney's bill, co-sponsored by state Sen. Toni Harp, D-New Haven, has been raised in the Judiciary Committee, but a public hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Last year, Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed a so-called medical marijuana bill, which Looney said was different from the decriminalization bill. The medical-marijuana had a procedure for authorizing people to grow marijuana in violation of federal law.

"I think it has a chance this year partly because the public seems ahead of politicians on this issue," Looney said, adding that $15 million could be saved by freeing up public defenders and prosecutors from low-level possession cases.

The poll found that voters approve Sunday alcohol sales by 54 percent to 44 percent, although the poll found a "substantial" gender gap, with men supporting the sales by 62 percent to 37 percent. Women are nearly evenly split.

But voters oppose allowing grocery stores to sell wine and distilled spirits by 58 percent to 39 percent.

The Q Poll surveyed 1,238 Connecticut registered voters from March 3 through March 8, with a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.