Marijuana Legalization Leads in WA, CO

Oregonians need to get with the program, too

Washington is emerging as the most likely state to be the first to legalize marijuana according to new polls. But even with a huge fundraising advantage, and less organized opposition, Initiative 502 is far from a lock as voters begin casting ballots.

A poll released today by Strategies 360 finds a 54-to-38 lead for I-502, with about 7 percent undecided (rounding errors cause it not add up to 100 percent). A larger poll last week, the KCTS 9 Washington Poll, gave I-502 a 51-to-41 lead among all voters; among likely voters, it leads 47-40 percent, indicating considerable uncertainty.

Those compare favorably with the latest poll in Colorado by the Denver Post, where a marijuana legalization measure leads 48-to-43, but with support weakening and opposition firming up. Legalization is also on the ballot in Oregon, but that measure, which proposes less regulation of legalized marijuana than measures in Washington or Colorado, is far behind in the polls.