About two-thirds of Connecticut residents support the legalization of recreational marijuana, according to the latest poll by Sacred Heart University.
According to the survey, 65.7% of respondents support the legalization of recreational marijuana for users over the age of 21. In addition, 48.1% agreed the legalization would result in a significant increase in the number of individuals operating vehicles under the influence.
Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they believe marijuana has either “fewer effects” (42.4%) or “the same amount of effects” (34.6%) as alcohol ”“ compared with over 71.8% in February. In addition, 72.3% of survey respondents indicated they believe marijuana has fewer effects than other drugs such as heroin, amphetamines and prescription pain medications.
If marijuana were legalized, 62.3% of those surveyed would support the erasure of criminal records for those previously convicted of recreational offenses/possession, consistent with 62.1% in February.
Other findings of the survey include:
- 71.2% of respondents describing their quality of life in the state as being either “excellent” (17.3%) or “good” (53.9%), which marked an increase from the 68.3% who reported the same in February.
- An increased approval of Gov. Ned Lamont”™s job performance ”“ 57.3%, compared with 55.9% in February. By party affiliation, Lamont”™s approval rating was 76.7% among Democrats, 41.9% among Republicans, 53.3% among Independents and 44% among unaffiliated voters.
- During the pandemic, 73.2% approved of how the governor is handling “communication to the public, compared with 73.6% in February. His “overall response and handling” of the crisis rated a 70.1% approval in March, compared with 70.7% the previous month.