According to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Monday and conducted in partnership with researchers Nathan Link of Rutgers University – Camden and Jordan Hyatt of Drexel University, when asked where they would like to see tax revenue generated from cannabis sales spent, half of New Jerseyans agreed that the state should invest in education and public health initiatives.
“While education and public health initiatives edge their way to the top, preferences span a number of important state issues, with a notable number of New Jerseyans wanting to prioritize things like affordable housing and transportation,” Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University – New Brunswick, said.
According to a statewide poll of 1,006 adults contacted from Aug. 30 to Sept. 8, slightly more than one in five people polled supported spending cannabis revenue on education (23%) and public and community health initiatives, including drug treatment centers (21%). Less than one in five said it should be spent on affordable housing development (15%) or transportation and infrastructure (13%), and ever fewer supported funding for police, courts and prisons (11%).
New Jerseyans least supported using the revenue for campaigns on the dangers of substance use (4%). Thirteen percent gave another answer or were unsure what the revenue should be spent on.
