Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

The Republic | azcentral.com

Fifty percent of registered voters said they favor legalization, nearly 40 percent oppose the measure and more than 10 percent are undecided

Half of Arizona voters surveyed in a new poll favor legalizing marijuana for recreational use, while a sizable share remain undecided on the November ballot measure.

The Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll found 50 percent of registered voters favor legalization, 40 percent oppose the measure and 10 percent are undecided. The poll surveyed 784 registered voters between Aug. 17 and Aug. 31. The margin of error is 3.4 percent.

Proposition 205 asks Arizona voters to legalize cannabis for recreational use and establish licensed outlets where sales of the drug would be taxed, similar to the system in Colorado. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act would allow people 21 and older in Arizona to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants in their homes.

The campaign is expected to draw heavy spending by both supporters and foes. Arizona voters in 2010 narrowly approved a medical-marijuana program, which allows people with certain debilitating conditions to use marijuana.

"The proposal starts out ahead ... but that doesn't mean it ends up that way after a campaign," said public-opinion pollster Mike O'Neil, who was not involved in the survey. "It reflects an evolving attitude on marijuana throughout the entire country, and we're part of that. People are no longer buying that this is just a horrible thing."

The survey is the first major statewide political poll in Arizona this election season. Unlike many polls conducted in Arizona, it used advanced survey methodology to weight the responses for a more accurate picture of what voters are likely to do.

On the question of marijuana legalization, voters broke along party lines with majorities of Democratic and independent voters supporting the proposal. Sixty-four percent of Democrats and 53 percent of independent voters.favored legalization of marijuana.

Republicans overwhelmingly said they would reject the measure, with nearly 56 percent opposed.

Young voters overwhelmingly supported marijuana legalization, the poll found, with support declining among older voters.

"I support it — not that I would use it," said Democratic voter Evert Adams, 76, who lives in north Phoenix. "But I think the state could use the funding, and by legalizing it, you'd probably get rid of a lot of illicit traffic, and it would be better controlled by the state."

Ellen Judson, a 71-year-old Republican voter, told The Republic that states that have legalized recreational marijuana, such as Colorado and Washington, have not benefited. Legalization in Arizona could lead to more accidents and crime, she said.

Men favored Prop. 205 more than women by about nine points. Political experts said the gender gap suggests the warnings about the potential perils of legalization could be more effective messaging with women than men.

"I think that's sort of a mom-thing," O'Neil said. "If it gets to something that involves threat or danger, women are a little more cautious than men."

J.P. Holyoak, chairman of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said the campaign expected the race would be tight, and it plans to center its message on the benefits of taxing and regulating marijuana.

"We didn't think we would ever be able to just run away with it," Holyoak said. "We know that we're ahead, and we know that if the vote were to be held tomorrow, we would win. We're two months away from Election Day, and there's a lot that could happen between now and then."

POLL RESULTS: Presidential race | Arizona Senate race | Voter views of Ducey | Voter views of Arpaio | Marijuana legalization | $12 minimum wage | Views of immigration, border wall | Complete results and methodology

Adam Deguire, campaign manager for the anti-legalization campaign, said in a statement the campaign intends to highlight how the measure "misleads voters into thinking more money will go to schools when in fact it will go towards creating more government."

Deguire wrote he is confident voters will break their way as they learn more about the measure. "Polls this early, before any money has been spent on advertising to influence voters, don't mean much," he wrote.

Follow reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez on Twitter and Facebook. Reach her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4712.