Marijuana legalization loses support in Pennsylvania according to new poll

Muhlenberg College poll shows large majority say state not doing enough in opioid crisis

• Scott LaMar
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  Scott LaMar has worked in both radio and television for more than four decades.
  
  Currently, LaMar is the Host and Executive Producer of The Spark program on WITF-FM, 89.5 & 93.3 in Harrisburg, Pa.
  
  Previously, LaMar was WITF TV’s Sr. Public Affairs producer and produced the station’s award-winning weekly public affairs TV program, Smart Talk.
  
  In addition to his on-air duties, LaMar has moderated political candidate debates, including those for candidates running for Pennsylvania governor and the U.S. Senate and was a regular contributor to BBC World News TV before and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
  
  LaMar often emcees or moderates local events and has gone as far as California to emcee a national event.
  
  The American Society of Civil Engineers honored LaMar with their national Excellence in Journalism award in 2020. He has been nominated for five Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
  
  LaMar and The Spark have been recognized throughout the Central Pennsylvania community including ADVOZ Lancaster’s “Dignity in Dialogue Award”, the South-Central Assembly’s “Regional Citizen Award” and was named a “Humanitarian Hero” by The Humane Society of the United States/Pennsylvania.
  
  A native of Coatesville, Pa., LaMar has also worked as a broadcast news anchor, sports play-by-play announcer and manager.

Close up of woman hand passing marijuana split

Airdate: July 10th, 2023

Adult use marijuana or marijuana used for recreational purposes became legal in Maryland July 1^st. Maryland joins New York, New Jersey and Delaware where marijuana is legal. The momentum seemed to be toward legalization in Pennsylvania as well. Not so fast.

The Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion survey conducted in conjunction with the Muhlenberg College Public Health Program found that for the first time in more than a decade support for legalizing recreational marijuana dropped in Pennsylvania. The poll found 50% of respondents support marijuana legalization compared to 56% in 2022.

Dr. Christopher Borick, Director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion and a Professor of Political Science, appeared on The Spark Monday and said the results may be an outlier but then again,”After years and years of support, that some Pennsylvanians at least are having more questions about it, more concerns? Is the prevalence of marijuana in society pushing some people maybe to to reconsider on the issue? Again, from one data point, we don’t have any conclusive answers for that just does raise some questions of perhaps we’re seeing some type of shifts going on in the state.”

At the same time, the poll cited a National Institutes of Health study that found marijuana use was up dramatically in the 18 to 22 age group. The Muhlenberg poll found 55% of Pennsylvanians said they very concerned or somewhat concerned about that increase.

On another substance-related issue, a large margin of respondents — 73% said the state isn’t doing enough to address the opioid abuse, compared to 16% who said it is. Borick said the opioid response cut across the political lines,”It’s the enormous majority and it’s bipartisan. Usually when we ask questions in our public health poll on things from COVID to climate change to obesity, we see pretty big divides across the political spectrum with Republicans and Democrats having strikingly different views on these matters. When it comes to opioids, we don’t see that. We see overwhelmingly among Pennsylvanians that there’s a sense that the state’s not doing enough, that it’s a crisis. We see again, we’ve asked this now dating back to 2016, do you know anyone who’s been addicted to heroin and other opioids? A majority of Pennsylvanians do. Its reach is gigantic. I think most Pennsylvanians know that at this point how significant the impact of this crisis has been on the commonwealth and the nation. And you’re seeing that there’s a desire for more action on this.”

The poll didn’t asked what more the state should be doing about opioids.

The Muhlenberg poll also found that 53% said mental health in children and teenagers is a crisis and 43% saying it’s a problem but not a crisis. 29% saw climate change as a crisis, 38% called it a problem but not a crisis and 28% responded climate change was not a problem at all.