Survey: Drugs in our community Part 1 Results – Cannabis Referendum

HOW WILL COROMANDEL HAURAKI RESIDENTS VOTE ON THE CANNABIS REFERENDUM?

Today we start the release of results from the survey that closed last Saturday on questions relating to the use and supply of illicit drugs.

The poll is not scientific, it surveyed people living on the Coromandel or Hauraki and was designed to open some discussion for those of us living in these areas on the questions concerning our communities.

In today’s release we look at the first of the survey questions – How will you vote in the referendum to be held at the General Election in September on the question of legalisation of the sale of cannabis?

Other organisations which have also issued polls to gauge how New Zealanders view the legalisation of cannabis, to our knowledge this is the first poll the specifically looks at the Coromandel and Hauraki districts. Mostly these have indicated support for legalising cannabis. An example of this is the recent independent Horizon Research survey of nearly 1600 Kiwis which found 56 per cent of respondents plan to vote for legalising cannabis for personal use on September 19.

In our poll we had responses from 382 people around the Coromandel and Hauraki Plains. The survey opened on 12 July and closed a week later on 19 July. Our survey has indicated that support for legalising cannabis here on the Coromandel is similar to that shown in the Horizon Research Survey.

Our poll indicated that 57% of those who answered the question supported reform and 32% did not while 11% preferred not to answer the question. Of those in favour, females were more likely than their male counterparts to vote in favour. Females were 58% in favour while males were slightly lower at 55%.

The support for this reform was stronger in Coromandel Town including coastal areas north of Manaia to Waitete Bay (63% in favour) and was lowest in Tairua/Pauanui including Hikuai (36%).

Thames including coastal communities to Manaia recorded 60% support, Whitianga including Kuaotunu, Matarangi, Whangapoua, Opito and Otama, Cooks Beach, Hahei and Hot Water Beach, showed 58% in favour and Paeroa/Te Aroha or other Hauraki provincial town recorded 56% support. Whangamata including Oputere, Onemana, and Whiritoa only showed 44% would support this reform.

The age of those supporting the reform was strongest in younger age groups. The greatest support came from the 16 to 25 year olds with 78% in favour, followed by 26 to 40yrs 64%, 41 to 55 years 58% and 56 to 65 yrs showed 53% and older ages dropped to 43% in support.

On Monday we will look at the question of the awareness of the location of places that supply drugs in our communities and this will be followed on Tuesday with a look at how many surveyed either regularly or occasionally use illicit drugs.

You can read the next set of results in this survey by clicking here.