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Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Marijuana: Results of a Public Opinion Survey in San Mateo County <br /> © 2016 BRIGHT RESEARCH GROUP | 2 <br /> <br />EXECUTIVE  SUMMARY   <br />Marijuana  is  one  of  the  most  commonly  used  controlled  substances  in  the  United  States.  In   <br />November  2016,  California  voters  approved  Proposition  64,  the  ballot  measure  to  legalize   <br />recreational  marijuana  in  the  state  of  California.  With  the  support  for  marijuana  legalization   <br />growing  in  California,  public  health  practitioners  in  San  Mateo  County  sought  to  understand  its   <br />residents’  knowledge,  attitudes  and  behaviors  regarding  recreational  marijuana  in  case  voters   <br />decided  to  legalize  it.  The  county  engaged  a  network  of  community-­‐based  organizations  to   <br />deploy  a  public  opinion  survey  in  the  summer  of  2016—before  the  November  election.  Over   <br />4,200  survey  responses  were  collected  from  San  Mateo  County  residents  in  less  than  two   <br />months.  The  survey  respondents  represented  San  Mateo  County’s  diverse  geographic  areas,   <br />racial/ethnic  communities,  age  groups  and  income  levels.  This  report  provides  an  analysis  of  the   <br />results  of  this  survey  and  identifies  opportunities  for  public-­‐education  campaigns  and  local  policy   <br />change  that  are  based  on  the  public’s  priorities.     <br />   <br />Among  the  key  findings  in  this  report  are  the  following:     <br />• The  survey  reveals  that  a  majority  of  respondents  either  currently  use  marijuana  (28   <br />percent)  or  had  used  it  in  the  past  (30  percent).  Among  those  respondents  who  indicated   <br />that  they’re  not  currently  using  marijuana,  one  in  ten  said  that  legalization  might  lead   <br />them  to  use  it  recreationally.   <br />• Respondents  are  concerned  with  the  prevalence  of  marijuana  use  among  youth  and  are   <br />bothered  when  exposed  to  marijuana  smoke.  A  majority  (54  percent)  of  respondents   <br />were  very  concerned  about  youth  using  marijuana  in  their  communities,  and  27  percent   <br />were  very  concerned  about  adults  using  marijuana.  Sixty-­‐four  percent  of  respondents   <br />said  they  were  bothered  when  they  were  exposed  to  marijuana  smoke.   <br />• There  is  a  lack  of  consistent  knowledge  about  the  effects  of  marijuana  on  one’s  health.   <br />When  asked  about  specific  potential  for  harm—such  as  the  impact  on  existing  mental-­‐ <br />health  conditions,  secondhand  smoke  and  the  potential  for  marijuana  to  be  a  gateway  to   <br />other,  more  serious  drugs—a  third  or  more  of  the  respondents  either  disagreed  or  had   <br />no  opinion  about  whether  marijuana  had  any  impact.     <br />• In  general,  respondents  were  supportive  of  several  policy  options  for  regulating   <br />marijuana  retail  establishments,  such  as  enacting  retail  licenses  and  restricting  stores   <br />near  schools  from  selling  marijuana.  Respondents  were  also  supportive  of  opportunities   <br />to  reduce  secondhand  smoke  in  public  spaces  and  regulate  the  personal  cultivation  of   <br />marijuana  in  people’s  front  yards.         <br />   <br />8.A. - Page 77