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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 | 9 <br /> <br />OPINIONS  ABOUT  LOCAL  POLICY  AND  REGULATION  OPTIONS   <br />The  San  Mateo  County  Health  System  is  a  leader  in  developing,  supporting  and  implementing   <br />policy  and  social  changes  that  reduce  the  harm  of  tobacco  and  controlled  substances  on  local   <br />communities.  Because  of  the  work  of  the  San  Mateo  County  Tobacco  Education  Coalition—a   <br />coalition  of  public-­‐agency  partners,  community-­‐based  organizations  and  residents—over  100   <br />local  smoke-­‐free  policies  have  been  adopted  in  the  county  to  reduce  access  to  and  harm  caused   <br />by  tobacco  products  in  local  communities.  The  community-­‐based  prevention  partnerships  that   <br />helped  implement  this  survey  have  also  been  successful  in  passing  policies  that  regulate  alcohol   <br />and  the  use  of  other  drugs,  including  social  host  ordinances  in  Pacifica  and  Daly  City  and  a  ban  on   <br />medical-­‐marijuana  dispensaries  in  East  Palo  Alto.iii  While  tobacco  has  always  been  a  legal   <br />substance,  the  county  has  expertise  in  identifying  opportunities  that  reduce  harm  through   <br />community-­‐supported  policy  change  and  regulation.  This  expertise  can  inform  efforts  to  regulate   <br />recreational  marijuana  locally  in  the  county.  The  public  opinion  survey  on  marijuana  asked   <br />respondents  about  their  opinions  on  several  policy  options  that  could  regulate  access  to   <br />recreational  marijuana  if  it  became  legal  in  California  under  Prop.64.  Existing  tobacco-­‐control   <br />policies  in  San  Mateo  County’s  local  jurisdictions  inspired  several  of  these  policy  options.       <br />   <br />   <br />Retail  or  Sales  Policies:  In  general,  respondents  were  supportive  of  several  policy  options  for   <br />regulating  marijuana  retail  establishments.  Two-­‐thirds  of  respondents  (68  percent)  approved  of   <br />a  policy  that  would  require  marijuana  retailers  to  hold  a  special  retail  license.  Several  San  Mateo   <br />County  jurisdictions  require  retailers  to  hold  licenses  to  sell  tobacco.  Licensing  provides  cities   <br />8.A. - Page 84