A new poll shows that more than a year after marijuana was legalized in New Jersey, most people don’t mind the smell. The survey shows that a greater number of people consider driving while under the influence to be “very hazardous” than they do about driving after having consumed marijuana.
According to a poll conducted by the Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University, about half of the adults in the state have smelled cannabis from a neighboring apartment or house. More respondents, however, said that they believe the right to smoke legal marijuana at home is more important (31%) than the right to not smell cannabis being used in a neighbor’s house (16%).
Nearly half (46%) of respondents said that they believed the two rights are equally important.
Of course, people don’t smell marijuana all the time. 14 percent of respondents said that they smelt it from their neighbor frequently, 15 percent reported it occasionally, and 21 percent stated it was rare. A further 49 percent of people said that they have never smelled their neighbors smoking cannabis.
In New Jersey, 57 percent of adults say they have smelled marijuana often (28%) or sometimes (29%). Only 9 percent of New Jersey adults said that they have never smelled marijuana in public. A third (32%) said they only smell it occasionally.
John Froonjian of the Hughes Center said that the survey revealed “not much thought had been given to the issue of smell of marijuana becoming a part of New Jersey’s public landscape”. There are few places where these products can be consumed legally, so people light up in parks and at festivals. They also smoke in parking lots, on the streets, or in parking lot.
90% of respondents said that they could identify the smell. A majority of respondents (52%) said that it didn’t bother anyone. A further 19% said that it bothered them “a lot” and 28 percent said that it bothered them somewhat.
Hughes Center @Stockton_edu poll says 57% of New Jerseyans smell marijuana in public, but most are OK with it https://t.co/6sc4snyHB2 pic.twitter.com/3RdvvZmDXG
StocktonHughesCenter October 11, 2020
The new survey provides a snapshot of New Jerseyans’ experience since legalization. However, it does not mention the extent to which residents were affected by the smell or annoyance caused by cannabis prior to legalization.
The answers to some questions were influenced by whether or not the person had consumed cannabis in the last year. For example, among those who have consumed cannabis products, 55 percent said that their right to smoke legal marijuana at home was more important than the neighbor’s right not to smell it. Just 21 percent of people who don’t use marijuana felt this way.
Both groups agreed that driving high was dangerous. 75 percent of cannabis users and 91 percent non-users said this. Most (52 percent, 81 percent) of both consumers and nonconsumers agree that a roadside impairment test is necessary to determine the driver’s level.
Stockton University
It was more important for Republicans to develop a roadside test. 62 percent said that it was very, much important. This was compared to only 42 percent of Democrats.
39 percent of respondents said that they knew someone who had driven under the influence.
The respondents seemed to believe that driving while high on cannabis is less dangerous than driving drunk. 51 percent of respondents said that driving drunk is more dangerous than driving high on marijuana.
In Stockton’s Press Release, Froonjian stated that driving under any substance is “a bad idea and causes accidents.” He added that “responsible users must avoid driving while high” on marijuana.
The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission launched a new campaign this week to encourage, among other things, adults to use cannabis delivery service to reduce the risk of driving while impaired.
Commissioner Krista Naish, co-chairperson of the panel’s Public Engagement and Education Committee said at a Wednesday press conference that the members’ “top priority” is the safety and health of all New Jerseyans, whether they are cannabis users or not.
Last month, applications for licenses such as wholesales and delivery services were opened. Regulators will begin by giving priority to people who have suffered disproportionately from cannabis prohibition enforcement.
Recently, regulators also voted to allow THC-infused edibles such as brownies. They have also proposed for dispensaries and research institutions to work together in order to use real marijuana products to conduct studies.
The state has recently granted 12 million dollars in grant money to 48 licensed marijuana operators, to help them expand and start their businesses. This is part of a move to remove the barriers for people to enter the legal cannabis industry, particularly those from communities that have been disproportionately affected by the drug-war.
New Jersey officials announced recently that $5,5 million of marijuana revenue could be used to fund a grant program for hospitals to combat violence.
A new interactive federal map shows how states rely on marijuana tax revenue to fund public services
The post New Jersey residents say right to use marijuana at home outweighs right not to smell neighbor’s use, poll shows first appeared on Marijuana moment.
