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Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Marijuana: Results of a Public Opinion Survey in San Mateo County © 2016 BRIGHT RESEARCH GROUP | 10 and the county with an opportunity to enforce purchasing age limits, signage, taxation and other restrictions on tobacco sales. If recreational marijuana becomes legal, public support for these policies creates an opportunity for local jurisdictions to expand their tobacco-‐retail-‐license policies to include marijuana. The respondents were also highly supportive (67 percent) of policies that would forbid stores within 1,000 feet of youth spaces (e.g., schools and parks) from selling marijuana. Half of the respondents said they would disapprove if a marijuana store were to open in their neighborhoods, and 58 percent said they would disapprove if marijuana advertisements were to appear in their communities. Access and Use Policies: The growth of marijuana for recreational use and secondhand exposure to marijuana smoke may become more common, now that Prop. 64 has passed. A majority (62 percent) of respondents said they would disapprove if marijuana were grown in their neighbors’ front yards; however, 58 percent said they would approve of backyard cultivation. A majority of respondents (61 percent) said they would disapprove of marijuana being used in public spaces. This data suggests that public support may exist for expanding local policies on smoking in public spaces, restaurants and bars, at events, and in other spaces to apply to marijuana products. While public support may exist for regulating marijuana cultivation on private property, there is a lack of support for restricting people from using marijuana in their own homes (72 percent). Additional data may be needed to understand public support for restricting marijuana use in multi-‐unit housing complexes, where secondhand smoke can waft between units. CONCLUSION Positive social norms around marijuana are commonplace in California and its local communities. The recent legalization of recreational marijuana in California under Proposition 64 raises concerns about the potential for the increasing use or abuse of the substance by youth and adults. The San Mateo County BHRS launched a public opinion survey campaign to capture baseline data on residents’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding marijuana access and use before voters approved Proposition 64. By utilizing community-‐based organizations, the county was able to access the public opinions of over 4,200 residents. This valuable data provides the county with information about its residents’ priorities and concerns about marijuana’s influence in their communities. Equipped with the knowledge of public opinion, the county can develop public-‐education campaigns and policy efforts that are responsive to its communities and the constituents of its local policymakers. The county could consider reissuing this survey after recreational-‐marijuana legalization is implemented to understand whether residents’ attitudes have changed. This unique strategy is an opportunity for jurisdictions across the country to develop public health and harm-‐reduction strategies that are community supported. 8.A. - Page 85