Poll: New Jersey wants medical marijuana, supports body-scanners at airports

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Nearly two-thirds of New Jersey voters support medical marijuana legislation. Over three-quarters meanwhile favor the use of full-body scanners at their airports. This information on the Garden State comes compliments of recent polling over the weekend from Rasmussen Reports.

64% support last week’s decision by the New Jersey state legislature to legalize marijuana for medical usage. Only 23% are opposed to the idea and 13% remain undecided. New Jersey has become the fourteenth state to decriminalize pot for medical purposes, legislation that is supported by 63% of voters nationwide. Certain states like California have taken the next step in considering whether the drug ought to be legal and taxed for budget reasons. Nearly half of Californians (49%) support the measure against 38% who are opposed. There is greater resistance to proposed legalization of marijuana to help with national economic problems however. 41% are in favor but 49% remain against the measure nationwide.

In Northern Jersey Newark Liberty International is set to become the first airport in the United States to implement full-body scanners that will check each passenger in its terminals. This is in response to the growing concern over airline terror and specifically recent incidents on Christmas Day and January 3rd. 77% in the Garden State are in favor of the use of scanners against just nine-percent opposed and 14% who are undecided.

New Jersey’s high level of support actually exceeds the 71% national average being recorded by Rasmussen. Although the body-scanners have raised some privacy issues mainly supported by liberal-leaning groups, and New Jersey is a left-leaning state, their concern with protection outweighs their sensitivity over privacy. New Jersey’s connection with the 9/11 terror attacks in neighboring New York City where many state residents have lived and work no doubt plays a role in the public sentiment. Furthermore more than half of Americans (55%) nationwide say they are not concerned about privacy issues raised by the implementation of airport body-scanners.

By a margin of 39-32% a plurality of New Jersey voters believe the government’s response to the foiled terror attack on Christmas Day was poor. Seven in ten (70%) Garden State voters also want to see the investigation of the bombing attempt handled by military authorities and treated as a terrorist act. Only two in ten (20%) prefer to see Nigerian Muslim Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried for a criminal act in a civilian court.

Despite their desire for body-scanners in airports New Jersey voters are a bit more optimistic on the topic of terrorism in general than what is found nationally. 72% believe another terrorist attack on or over United States soil is at least somewhat likely within the next twelve months, but that is a bit lower than the national average of 79%. By a margin of 43-40% more voters in New Jersey believe the country to be less safe than safer since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This is well above the national average of 47-27% however.

AP PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS / Ed Andrieski