Tennesseans are warming to pot and largely opposed to amending the state constitution to give state legislators more power to regulate abortion, according to the results of a new Vanderbilt University Poll.
Of the 1,505 Tennessee residents surveyed, an overwhelming majority support legalizing marijuana to some degree — 44 percent approved of legalizing medical marijuana, and another 32 percent support legalization for recreational use.
Vanderbilt political science professor John Geer said the numbers make it "hard to argue there's going to be a huge electoral penalty for going for medicinal use of marijuana."
The numbers also showed a gaping generational divide on the question. Among the respondents who oppose any legalization of marijuana, 41 percent were 65 or older, while just 12 percent were between 18 and 35 years old.
Nevertheless, efforts to legalize medical marijuana in recent years haven't made it far at the legislature.
More surprising were the poll's findings regarding a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would give the state legislature more power to regulate abortion. Respondents overwhelmingly rejected the idea of giving the state legislature that power, with 71 percent saying they opposed it and only 23 percent expressing support.
Even among Republicans, only 32 percent supported giving the state such constitutional authority to regulate abortions. But Geer repeatedly cautioned against reading to much into the results when it comes to the amendment will fare later this fall.
"We don't want to be forecasting what's going to happen with these amendments because it depends on how much money's raised, the kind of arguments that are made," he said, adding that "no one should interpret this as a sign that the state is suddenly pro-choice."
Other interesting findings:
— 56 percent of respondents support using the electric chair for state executions; 66 percent of Republicans and 40 percent of Democrats.
— The state legislature's approval rate is 49 percent, but 43 percent of respondents don't know which party controls it.
— 86 percent of registered voters approve of Gov. Bill Haslam's Tennessee Promise, making community and technical colleges free to high school graduates.
