First, the good: A CBS poll found that the vast majority of Americans support medical cannabis. We’re talking 77
percent, or more than three-fourths of the population. Tell the anti-MMJ crowd to put that in their pipes and smoke it. The findings highlight the tectonic shift in the public’s views toward medical pot in the U.S. The average American now supports the use of MMJ by seriously ill patients, which bodes well for the future of the industry.

But there’s a caveat: Most people are skeptical that “medical” pot actually winds up in the hands of patients. And they’re
right, at least to some degree.

Continuing with the positive developments, a pro-cannabis group in Massachusetts submitted a petition calling for the
legalization of medical marijuana. If enough signatures are validated, the issue could appear on the 2012 ballot.

Unfortunately, there was a bit of negative news last week as well (this is the medical pot industry, after all). Officials in Fort Collins, Colo., set Feb.14 as the date that all dispensaries in the city must close. The move comes after voters backed a measure in November to ban medical pot businesses from the city, continuing a disturbing trend that is playing  out across the nation. It’ll be a sad Valentine’s Day for the Fort Collins MMJ industry.

In other developments:

- The recent raids in Washington State and Montana targeted more than just dispensaries. Grow operations, financial institutions, private homes and even a car-customization company found federal officers at the front door.

- A medical marijuana collective in Phoenix continues to provide patients with pot a week after its launch, no small feat considering that local authorities have shut down similar operations in the past.

Weekly Wrapup: Record Support for Medical Pot, MA Moves Forward While CO Town Backtracks is a post from: Medical Marijuana Business Daily - Legal, Financial and Dispensary News

These are the main findings of a new CBS News poll that provides a glimpse into how the public feels about both medical pot and marijuana legalization in general.

Although there is overwhelming support for the idea of medical marijuana (just 17 percent oppose it), a third of respondents said they believe the pot provided under state medical marijuana laws is actually going to seriously ill patients. In other words, the majority of Americans think most cannabis sold via these programs is winding up in the hands of recreational users who don’t need it to ease pain.

It comes as no surprise that the public holds this perception of the industry – whether true or not – given the fact that many dispensaries and related businesses clearly market their products to the masses. However, the poll provides the strongest evidence yet that most Americans support medical pot despite all the controversy surrounding it.

The poll, conducted from Oct. 28 to 31, also found that 40 percent of respondents think pot should be legal for any use, down from 44 percent last year but up significantly from 27 percent in a similar survey in 1979. That’s a significantly different picture than the one painted by a recent Gallup poll, which found that 50 percent of Americans think marijuana should be legal. Another recent poll by a different group put support at 55 percent. It’s unclear why the differences among the polls are so high, making it difficult to determine which is the most accurate. Many industry groups, as one would expect, put more weight on the polls showing stronger support for legalization, saying that falls in line with the general trends they’ve seen.

Other findings from the CBS poll:

- Legalization has the most support (52 percent) among Americans under the age of 30 and the least among those over 65 (28 percent).

- More men than women support general cannabis legalization

- A slightly higher percentage of people in the West support legalization than in the East (48 percent vs. 45 percent)

- 70 percent of Republicans oppose legalization, while Democrats are more or less evenly split on the issue

CBS Poll: Vast Majority of Americans Support Medical Cannabis is a post from: Medical Marijuana Business Daily - Legal, Financial and Dispensary News

More than 60 percent of locals who took a Montana State University-Billings survey said they approve of the changes, signaling residents agree with lawmakers that the MMJ industry has grown too quickly and needs more regulation. Just 28 percent or those who responded said they are against the stricter laws, while the rest were ostensibly ambivalent.

In April, state lawmakers approved a radical overhaul of Montana’s medical pot regulations, adopting measures aimed at preventing the emergence of large-scale marijuana operations and significantly slashing the number of registered cardholders in the state by making it harder to qualify for the program. The new law essentially repeals regulations that voters approved seven years ago.

Dispensary owners and other pot professionals have challenged the move in court, and the case is ongoing. They also recently gathered enough signatures to get the issue on the 2012 ballot, allowing voters to decide the fate of the medical marijuana industry in Montana.

But the future looks grim, at least at this point. Although that election is still a year away, the MSU poll results show that the state’s cannabis industry has a tough road ahead of it. Cannabis proponents will have to lobby hard to sway more voters, given that the majority don’t seem to be on their side. If the ballot measure fails, numerous dispensaries and grow operations could go out of business, insiders say.

Poll: Montana Voters Back State’s Strict New Pot Regulations is a post from: Medical Marijuana Business Daily - Legal, Financial and Dispensary News