A majority of Texas voters support marijuana legalization, according to a recent survey.
Public Policy Polling found that 58 percent of Texans "support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol." Even more -- 61 percent -- were in favor of decriminalizing marijuana possession and instead punishing violations with a civil citation.
Texas law currently views possession of marijuana, even on a minute scale, as a criminal offense, punishable by $2,000 in fines and up to a year of jail time.
The PPP survey of 860 randomly selected Texas voters was released by the Marijuana Policy Project.
"Most Texans agree that marijuana sales should be conducted by legitimate businesses instead of drug cartels in the underground market," MPP executive director Rob Kampia said in a release.
In addition, the poll found that a majority of Texas voters support changing state law to permit critically ill and terminal patients to use medical marijuana -- only 31 percent said they were opposed.
"People suffering from cancer and multiple sclerosis should not face the threat of arrest for using medical marijuana if their doctors believe it will help ease their suffering," Kampia said.
Nationwide, support for marijuana legalization is on the rise, with 52 percent of Americans in favor of legalizing marijuana use, according to a recent national Gallup survey.
Last November, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana through referendums, catalyzing similar efforts in California, Arizona, Oregon and Alaska heading toward the 2014 midterm elections. Is Texas next?
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