As bills to decriminalize marijuana languish in the Pennsylvania legislature, a new poll finds that a majority of voters in the state support an even more expansive proposal to end the criminalization of all currently illicit drugs. The survey, conducted by Data for Progress and released on Thursday, found that 60 percent of voters are in favor of having their district attorneys eliminate “criminal penalties for simple possession of a controlled substance.” Yet despite that support, two bills to decriminalize cannabis alone that were introduced in the GOP-controlled House and Senate in January have yet to receive hearings in the committees to which they were referred. Oregon voters elected to decriminalize all drugs last November, and the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office announced shortly thereafter that prosecutors will no longer pursue low-level drug possession cases. The Pennsylvania poll, which was first reported by The Appeal and pegged to Tuesday’s district attorney elections in 17 counties, involved interviews with 632 likely voters from April 30-May 5.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 05/18/2021 08:10:00