Poll: 62 percent of Californians want marijuana regulated like wine

A majority of Californians believe that marijuana should be regulated like wine, according to a recent statewide poll sponsored by legalization advocates.

Sixty-two percent of residents in the Golden State support the Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Act of 2012, a ballot initiative that will be voted on in November. The poll, conduced by opinion research firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, found that only 35 percent were oppose to the ballot.

The firm found that 80 percent of the 800 people surveyed agreed with the statement "State and federal drug laws are outdated and have failed, therefore, we need to take a new approach that makes sense for today."

Steve Collett, treasurer for the legalization group behind the poll, celebrated the results in a media advisory.

“There is no policy that is more discriminatory or wastes more tax dollars," Collett said. "This initiative helps farmers, reduces prison overcrowding, relieves burdens on the courts, generates revenues for the state, and frees up police to work on real crimes.”

This is the latest poll showing increased support for pro-marijuana advocates. Last October, a Gallup pull showed that half of Americans now support legalizing marijuana.

California voters narrowly turned down legalization in 2010 by a 53 to 46 percent margin. Efforts to have Californians vote on legalization again were still underway.

Both Colorado and Washington are also expected to vote on legalizing marijuana in November.