Marijuana Policy Project

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Registered voters in Sen. Jim Alesi's (R) district (Monroe County) overwhelmingly support legislation that would protect seriously ill patients who use medical marijuana with their doctor's recommendation from arrest, according to a recent Mason-Dixon poll. Local patients responded to the results by urging the state Senate to swiftly enact the legislation, which has the support of organizations representing state nurses, medical schools and physicians.

According to the poll conducted June 8 to 10, 65 percent of the 500 randomly selected voters in Alesi's district interviewed by phone said they support patients' right to grow and use limited amounts of marijuana if their doctors recommend it, including 53 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of Democrats. Asked if they would be more or less likely to vote for Alesi if he supported medical marijuana legislation, 45 percent said they would be more likely, and only 18 percent said they would be less likely. Eighteen percent of respondents said they knew somebody who had used medical marijuana.

"Every day for me is agony compounded by the knowledge that there's no reason I need to suffer to this degree," said Joel Peacock, a Buffalo Conservative Party member who suffers debilitating chronic pain as a result of a 2001 car accident. Although he refuses to use medical marijuana as long as it's illegal, the drug eased his pain when he used it in desperation after his prescription medication ran out while working a construction job in New Orleans. "All I ask is to be allowed to use the medication that I know best provides me with the relief I need. My doctor is aware of how much it helped me, but will not recommend it to me while it remains illegal in New York State."

Commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project, the poll has a plus-or-minus 4.5 percent margin of error. The entire poll results can be viewed online at www.mpp.org/nypolls2009. Click on "State Senate District 55" to see polling data for Alesi's district.