The majority of Vermonters want the legislature to legalize marijuana, according to a recent poll.
The poll, conducted by the Castleton Polling Institute, said that 54 percent of Vermonters are in favor of legalization. The poll showed that 70 percent of Vermonters aged 18 to 44 are in favor of legalization, while just 28 percent in that age group are opposed. Support for legalization is lower among older residents, with 61 percent of Vermonters older than 64 opposed.
The poll showed that support for removing the ban on possession or use of marijuana fell slightly from May 2014, when 57 percent of Vermonters were in favor.
Two bills to legalize and tax marijuana were introduced in Montpelier this year, but lawmakers have not prioritized the issue and both bills have been stalled in committee for about a month.
A study presented to lawmakers earlier in the year suggested the state could generate millions of dollars in revenue if marijuana were legalized and taxed, but it also came with warnings about problems legalization could pose in the state.
Many state leaders have said they are paying close attention to the issue in Colorado and Washington state, where marijuana is legal, to see what policy lessons can be learned.
