New poll spells bad news for rec legalization in MA

More than half of registered voters in Massachusetts are against a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana for people 21 years of age and older, according to a survey by a conservative political action committee from Florida.

The poll by Gravis Marketing for Jobs First found that 51% of Bay State voters said they intend to vote against recreational marijuana legalization question. Another 41% of voters said they would support it, while 9% were undecided.

Massachusetts once seemed a strong prospect for rec legalization, but this is the second recent poll to show the measure losing, suggesting that anti-legalization forces led by Gov. Charles Baker and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh are succeeding. Baker, Walsh and other politicians even formed a group that raises funds for the effort, The Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts.

A poll conducted in May by the Boston Globe and Suffolk University found that 45.8% of state voters opposed rec legalization, while 43% were in favor. Another 11% were undecided.

Gravis surveyed 901 registered voters between July 12 and July 13. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3%.