Californians favor legalizing marijuana

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The results of a California poll released Wednesday indicated a majority of registered voters favor legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

The poll conducted by San Francisco's Field organization showed 54 percent of voters who responded to its survey supported legalizing marijuana and subjecting it to similar restrictions as alcohol, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Fifty-four percent of registered voters who responded to the Field survey supported legalizing the drug and subjecting it to the same sort of restrictions that exist for alcohol, the Chronicle reported.

"This reflects a gradual evolution of California voters on a number of issues. They seem to be becoming more liberal in their views. A lot of that has to do with the changing demographics," said the Field poll's director, Mark DiCamillo. "Baby Boomers are replacing their parents, and they have been exposed to marijuana all their lives, so they may not all support marijuana legalization, but they are more comfortable with the issue."

"We need the money -- that's why I'd legalize marijuana for everyone," said John Ortega, 82, of San Rafael. "They did it for alcohol, so now let's do it for marijuana."

The survey of 834 registered voters was conducted over 13 days in early February. The margin of error was 3.5 percentage points, a number that was elevated for demographic subcategories.