New WBUR Poll Shows More Support for Legalizing Marijuana, Keeping Charter Cap

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Massachusetts voters are increasingly in favor legalizing recreational marijuana and keeping the state cap on charter school expansion this November, according to the latest poll by WBUR and MassINC Polling Group released Wednesday.

Fifty-five percent of likely voters say they are in favor of legalizing the use of marijuana among adults, the subject of Question 4, while 40 percent were opposed. That staggering 15-point gap grew from just a five-point margin when WBUR asked the same question last month. (Apparently, Rick Steves’ everyman charm knows no limit.)

While 84 percent of voters said it would not bother them if people used marijuana in their homes, 64 percent said it would bother them if people used marijuana in public places. Fifty-nine percent of voters said it would not bother them if a store selling recreational marijuana opened in their neighborhood.

When assured that their answers were confidential, respondents were split 49-49 over whether they have tried marijuana, while 3 percent didn’t know (and certainly didn’t inhale) or refused to answer.

Support for Question 2, which would lift the state’s current cap on charter school expansion, has remained static at 41 percent, while opposition has grown from 48 percent to 52 percent since last month’s poll. In that time, the Boston School Committee formally opposed the controversial ballot measure.

The poll also showed Gov. Charlie Baker with a 68-percent approval rating, with 41 percent of voters approving of the job he’s done handling the MBTA—down from 53 percent in July 2015.