As signatures proceed to be gathered on a pair of initiative petitions to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska, a survey performed by the College of Nebraska-Lincoln estimates 83% of Nebraskans supported the concept in each 2020 and 2021.
The outcomes of the Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey, revealed Might 17 within the Journal of Drug Points, align with inner polling performed by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana that exhibits 80% help for legalizing hashish for medical use within the state.
College of Nebraska-Lincoln assistant professor Patrick Habecker
Survey outcomes additionally present help for legalizing leisure marijuana growing from an estimated 40% in 2020 to 46% in 2021, in accordance with the analysis staff.
Patrick Habecker, an assistant analysis professor of sociology and co-author of the paper with psychology professor Rick Bevins, mentioned the survey was created in the course of the coronavirus pandemic, when researchers working collectively on the Rural Drug Habit Analysis Heart needed to shift gears.
“Throughout COVID, we needed to droop interviewing individuals who use medication in Nebraska, so we noticed this as an opportunity to proceed the middle’s mission,” Habecker mentioned. “It’s an enormous difficulty within the state, despite the fact that Nebraska is without doubt one of the few states with medical or leisure marijuana.”
Nebraska first banned hashish in 1927 when Rep. Thomas Axtell of North Platte launched HR74 prohibiting the use or possession of what information shops known as “hasheesh” or “mariguana.”
Congress enacted its personal prohibition in 1937, however up to now a number of years, states have progressively begun to carry their bans on medical or leisure marijuana use, both legislatively or by citizen-led petitions.
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A petition to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska obtained the variety of signatures wanted to be put in entrance of voters within the 2020 basic election, however was later struck from the poll by the Nebraska Supreme Courtroom, which dominated it violated the single-subject rule.
Two petitions, which might require the Legislature to enact legal guidelines defending docs and sufferers, in addition to defending personal entities that provide and distribute hashish, at the moment are in circulation.
Habecker mentioned the UNL analysis staff sought to measure Nebraskans’ opinions about legalizing each leisure and medical marijuana, medical marijuana solely, or retaining each unlawful as a part of the annual survey mailed to a randomly chosen group of Nebraskans age 19 and older in every of the previous two years.
In all, the survey was despatched to eight,000 addresses in Nebraska unfold evenly throughout the state’s six behavioral well being areas, in addition to Lincoln and Omaha.
Greater than 1 / 4 of the surveys (27.7%) had been returned. The typical age of respondents was 51 years outdated, with a close to break up between women and men. The bulk (90%) of respondents had been white — greater than the 2019 estimate that 78.2% of Nebraskans are white.
The outcomes present widespread and uniform help for legalizing medical marijuana solely throughout all areas of the state, each main political events, ages and genders in accordance with the outcomes.
In solely two of the eight geographic areas — the south central (22%) and southwestern (25.9%) areas — did the help for retaining marijuana unlawful in all varieties attain 20%, Habecker mentioned.
“Leisure marijuana is the place you begin to see extra variations pop up by area, in addition to political get together,” he mentioned.
Whereas 22.4% of Republicans mentioned they favored retaining marijuana unlawful, 45.2% mentioned they might help legalizing medical marijuana, and 32.4% mentioned they favored legalization of each leisure and medical marijuana.
That consequence comes regardless of the state’s high Republicans, together with Gov. Pete Ricketts, main the marketing campaign towards legalization.
For the Democrats, simply 9.9.% favored retaining marijuana prohibition in place, whereas 40.9% supported medical marijuana solely and 49.2% mentioned they supported full legalization, in accordance with the outcomes.
Respondents that recognized as politically unbiased had been extra evenly break up, with 45.9% indicating they supported legalizing medical marijuana solely and 42.4% saying they favored legalizing leisure and medical marijuana.
Attitudes towards legalization change with age, with youthful Nebraskans extra more likely to help full legalization than older residents. Lower than a 3rd of respondents age 69 and older mentioned they supported leisure use.
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Nebraskans who mentioned they lived on a farm or in open nation had been additionally much less more likely to help leisure marijuana than those that dwell in a city or a metropolis. Males had been additionally extra more likely to help full legalization than girls.
Habecker mentioned the survey additionally tried to seize how the stigma of marijuana affected the opinions of respondents, a query he mentioned is “vastly understudied in political views.”
“How folks view those that use a drug is a vital component to contemplate, notably when folks do not need direct expertise with a substance,” Habecker and Bevins wrote within the paper.
As contributors report greater ranges of stigma towards marijuana customers, they’re much less more likely to help both possibility, the examine discovered, whereas the reverse was true for these with greater ranges of stigma towards people who use cocaine, meth, opioids or heroin.
“Few research of political help for legalization account for stigma basically, however we show that these measures are essential to incorporate, and function in a different way relying upon the substance,” the paper concludes.
Habecker mentioned one of many weaknesses of UNL’s survey was a scarcity of questions on whether or not or not respondents had been more likely to vote, or had been common voters, with the intention to gauge help for legalizing on the poll field.
Legislative efforts to carry the prohibition on medical marijuana failed in each 2019 and 2021, and a possible measure of the survey towards the election outcomes of the 2020 initiative failed when it was struck from the poll, the researchers wrote.
“This leaves the stage set for a poll initiative in 2022,” Habecker and Bevins wrote. “Regardless of our estimate of overwhelming public help for medical marijuana, the 2022 election will take a look at how nicely public opinion interprets to voting habits in Nebraska.”
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