cannabisnews.com: Reefer Madness at Zogby










  Reefer Madness at Zogby

Posted by CN Staff on May 30, 2002 at 18:31:56 PT
By Richard Morin and Claudia Deane, WP Staff Writers 
Source: Washington Post 

Marijuana advocates claim to have a new ally in their war against the war on drugs: Zogby International, the high-profile polling firm that has worked for some of the biggest names in the media, politics and corporate America.It seems that Zogby has struck a business deal with the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington-based group that advocates removing criminal penalties for marijuana use and is particularly active in the medical marijuana debate.
Here's the deal: For every 500 participants the pot people recruit to participate in Zogby online polls, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) receives one free poll question, which will be included in a Zogby Internet survey as well as on one of the firm's national telephone surveys. (The company has struck similar arrangements with other groups, including Newsmax, a conservative news forum and and Buzzflash, a lefty Democratic cyber-forum.)The arrangement between Zogby and MPP has not gone unnoticed by enemies of the five-leafed devil weed."The insidious inroads that the small but heavily finances drug culture continues to make into the fabric of society is truly frightening," said Charles Perkins, president of Drug Watch International, in a prepared statement. "It is time for the media to expose these lobbyists, just as they would expose pedophiles who try to influence child abuse laws and enforcement."Oh, my. Meanwhile, MPP officials couldn't be more pleased. In a "Dear Friend" e-mail to its cyber-mailing list, Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, explained details of the arrangement, which were confirmed by Zogby officials:"You now have a chance to . . . make your opinions count, and help the Marijuana Policy Project get professional polling done for free! . . . MPP is teaming up with one of the nation's most accurate and prestigious polling organizations, Zogby International, in a groundbreaking project to integrate and align Internet polling surveys with traditional telephone survey polling."Kampia went on to note that Zogby is developing a panel of thousands of individuals who agree to participate in Zogby polls. Participants will be e-mailed two surveys a month, "which will take a few minutes each to complete," Kampia wrote. Then he urged pot proponents to register for the panel online at a special URL."For every 500 registrants we supply, Zogby will place a marijuana polling question for MPP in one of its nationwide polls--both online and via traditional telephone survey methods. Each question would normally cost MPP $1,000 or more. With more than 12,000 people now subscribed to this MPPupdates e-mail list, we have the opportunity to get $1,000's worth of free survey research--research that could greatly benefit our efforts to end the war on marijuana users."Company officials downplayed the deal. 'Relationship' may be too strong a word," said John Zogby, the president and founder of the polling firm, which is based in Utica, N.Y. "We have reached out to all sorts of groups to increase our e-mail channel: conservatives, liberals, libertarians, even normal-type people in both senses of the word," a reference to NORML, the country's best-known drug law reform group.Zogby said MPP does not have carte blanche to ask whatever question they want on Zogby polls. "They submit ideas. But they have to pass our smell test: the questions have to be balanced, they can't be loaded," he said. "This is a legitimate public issue." He said his firm struck the deal with MPP after "we became concerned that we were getting a lot of conservatives" volunteering to participate in online surveys. "Our e-poll group is very young and very aggressive."And very successful. Already, more than 1,000 people solicited by MPP have signed up to participate in the Zogby Interactive Panel and the firm already has asked "a few" questions for MPP.Zogby isn't concerned that the panel will somehow be flooded by marijuana participants, tainting any survey results based on a sample drawn from the skewed panel. "We have more than 100,000 participants now," Zogby said. "There's just not enough to skew things."Besides, Zogby would make the same offer to an anti-marijuana group, if they approached him. "If indeed an anti-marijuana group came to us, great, we would welcome them. There would be some groups we would refuse, but if they are in the legitimate marketplace of ideas, that's fine."Other pollsters questioned Zogby's recruiting methods. In fact, a ferocious debate currently rages in the polling community about the accuracy and reliability of all Internet surveys, virtually all of which are based on Internet users who volunteer to participate rather than selected at random from the country as a whole.Adding to the problem is the fact that Internet users still tend to be disproportionately male, white, young and better educated--skews that Internet pollsters attempt to correct for by statistically adjusting their samples to contain the right proportion of women, older people and those with less education.But even these corrective measures aren't enough, some pollsters believe."I could run up and down K Street [in downtown Washington, D.C.] and select a lot of people and college their opinions and statistically manipulate that sample to look like the United States in terms of race, sex, income and education," said Andrew Kohut, director of The Pew Research Center for People and the Press. "But in the end, it would still be a sample of K Street and the people would still reflect a different set of views from the country as a whole. It doesn't work."But others aren't so sure--at least not yet. "I don't think we should shut the door on anything, nor embrace it out of hand," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College in New York.Zogby International is now among the most visible, if not influential, private survey companies in the country. Their client list includes congressional candidates from both parties as well as Microsoft and Cisco Systems,the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the Chrysler Corporation, State Farm Insurance, USA Today, the New York Post, Gannett News Service, St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Fox Television Network.Is he worried that some of his staid corporate clients might be spooked by his association with a drug group?"Not particularly," Zogby said. "We're liked by a broad spectrum and reviled by a broad spectrum. So I think we must be doing exactly what we should be doing."America's Emotional Recovery After Sept. 11 In this column: • America Recovering Emotionally from 9/11• Reefer Madness at Zogby International?• New Poll: Trust in Government Fading Fast• In Memoriam: Charles Roll, Jr.DL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33692-2002May30.htmlSource: Washington Post (DC)Author: Richard Morin and Claudia Deane, Washington Post Staff WritersPublished: Thursday, May 30, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Washington Post Company Contact: letterstoed washpost.comWebsite: http://www.washingtonpost.com Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Zogby Internationalhttp://www.zogby.com/The Medicinal Value of Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12823.shtmlThe Problem Is Pot Prohibition http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12725.shtml

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Comment #12 posted by CorvallisEric on May 31, 2002 at 07:18:48 PT
More on Zogby
I really dislike it when signing up for things like this there's a 2nd page to fill out which you can't see until you've submitted the first page. Here are the questions on Zogby's page 2 - most are multiple choice - all entries are required but you can choose "Not sure" for most of them.
Are you registered to vote in the United States?
In which party are you either registered to vote or do you consider yourself to be a member of ?
Which of the following best describes your ideology?
How likely are you to vote in national elections?
If the 1996 election were held today and the candidates again were Democrat Bill Clinton, Republican Bob Dole, or Reform Candidate Ross Perot, for whom would you vote - Clinton, Dole, Perot, or someone else?
Overall, how would you rate the performance of Bill Clinton as president - excellent, good, fair, or poor?
What is your age?
Which of the following best describes your educational level achieved?
Which of the following best represents your race or ethnic group?
Which of the following best represents your religious affiliation?
Are you or is anyone in your household a member of a union? 
Which of the following best represents your household income last year before taxes?
Gender
Do you work outside the home?
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Comment #11 posted by CorvallisEric on May 31, 2002 at 06:33:39 PT
Oops
My 2nd link didn't work because it was clipped off at the " ". You can copy the entire line and enter it (Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V). Also, I mischaracterized it as a "press release" - it's a public mailing list letter (or whatever you call it).
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Comment #10 posted by CorvallisEric on May 31, 2002 at 06:16:04 PT
Here's the URL
http://www.zogby.com/mpp.org
Here's MPP press release from 10-Oct-2001:
http://www.topica.com/lists/mppupdates igc.topica.com/read/message.html?mid=800849748
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Comment #9 posted by qqqq on May 31, 2002 at 05:01:38 PT
..here's a good place to see "polls"...
...according to almost every poll at this site,,,most people think things are just fine!
http://www.pollingreport.com/
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Comment #8 posted by Jose Melendez on May 31, 2002 at 04:45:09 PT
what's the URL?
Participants will be e-mailed two surveys a month, "which will take a few minutes each to complete," Kampia wrote. Then he urged pot proponents to register for the panel online at a special URL. Question: what os the URL?Also,from:http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2442.htmlGlow stick ban overturned
by Dana Larsen (29 May, 2002)
Federal judge rules against DEA
 A federal judge permanently blocked federal agents from banning masks, pacifiers, and glow sticks at a local dance venue as part of its nationwide war against rave concerts. The challenge was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in August 2001, after the Drug Enforcement Agency forced a prominent New Orleans club to ban glow sticks and pacifiers, claiming the items were "drug paraphernalia."
Graham Boyd, Director of the ACLU's Drug Policy Litigation Project, said that the government had been holding workshops across the country citing the New Orleans case as an example of how to shut down a rave. Boyd called the February 4 decision a "major victory" for free speech rights.
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Comment #7 posted by qqqq on May 31, 2002 at 02:12:40 PT
......More Poll Ramblings....
.".....".... He said his firm struck the deal with MPP after "we became concerned that we were getting a lot of conservatives" volunteering to participate in online surveys. "Our e-poll group is very young and very aggressive.""
...This quote from the article is quite revealing......first he says ....."we became concerned that we were getting a lot of conservatives" volunteering to participate in online surveys."....So,,,,in other words,,Zogby polls have been skewed with a conservative bias for who knows how long!!!Perhaps Zogby polls have been mysteriously dominated by conservative opinions for many years.......and then,,,we read;..""Our e-poll group is very young and very aggressive.""....Oh really!...??...well that brings up another good question;,;,;Who the fuck knows if the "e-poll" group is who they claim to be?,,,,........
.....and another thing about polls that has always bugged me,,,,who decides the accepted formulation for the equation to figure the "margin of error"????..yes,,I am aware of the statistical analysis methods of computing average margins of error,,but once again,,many of these claims by polling firms,are documented by heresay,,and could easily be tainted by large amounts of cash,,or factors that would be of mutual benifit to the pollsterers,,and those who funded the poll....
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Comment #6 posted by VitaminT on May 30, 2002 at 21:54:02 PT:
Check out jackboot Robert Maginnis
He believes he OWNS US!!!!!This is a 5 minute Canadian news clip on Pot-TV.netMaginnis continues to embarass America with his shrill threats aimed at intimidating Canadian citizens. What a sleazy fanatic!
Global News: Med-Marijuana Refugee Renee Boje
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Comment #5 posted by dddd on May 30, 2002 at 20:43:21 PT
.....Polls,,and Poll Controls....
...I think that "polls",,and pollster companies like Zogby,,are about as credible as Homer Simpson!....Polls are an invitation to corrupt influences,,especially big polling firms............Think about this;...Do you think that polling firms are subject to any sort of outside scrutiny,or verification by ANYONE?????,,I dont think so...I think the results of a poll can be manipulated in many ways....The article mentioned one of the main flaws in polls,is where the people being polled are obtained....
.Remember,,polls are VERY significant in forming nationwide public perceptions,and opinions....a good example is "aproval rating" polls for the pResident.Every week we hear that the shrubs 'approval ratings',,are running around 80%.....These approval ratings are never documented,, the people are not given the details of these polls,,,the Pollsters ,like Zogby are not accountable to anyone,or any type of auditing of exactly who they polled,and how random their polls are!....All this is quite significant,when you consider the impact such "polls",have on the masses,who are spoonfed their "news" by the national, corporate owned, and government influenced media..........Remember,,these polling firms are "for profit" corporations... You must pay them to conduct a poll,,and I'll betchya if you pay alot,,a poll can be customized to yeild desirable results,,and if you have good numbers in the "polls",,then you can influence public opinion,,even though your "poll",was bogus,and conducted under obscured,unsupervised,and unverifiable conditions....These polls are done by "The Man Behind the Curtain.",,and the results are rarely questioned.
...Consider the free poll that MPP gets for signing up internet poll participants....:
"Zogby said MPP does not have carte blanche to ask whatever question they want on Zogby polls. "They submit ideas.But they have to pass our smell test: the questions have to be balanced, they can't be loaded," he said. "This is a legitimate public issue." He said his firm struck the deal with MPP after "we became concerned that we were getting a lot of conservatives" volunteering to participate in online surveys. "Our e-poll group is very young and very aggressive.""
...Oh,,,"we became concerned that we were getting a lot of conservatives" ...Yes,,that concerns me too.,so what about all the other polls they conduct?How concerned are they about "a lot of conservatives".???...or;
....let's say that a poll question was;"Should Marijuana be allowed for medical use",,or;"Should Marijuana be moved from a schedule 1 narcotic?",,and the results of the poll were over 75% in favor of reform.,,,.. The empire spin doctors would respond with an Associated Press headline,saying; "Pot Poll Results Skewed By Pollster Freebie for Pro-Drug Groups."..
...I guess that polls vary in their level of integrity,,but in these new times,,I do not trust the accuracy,or random balanced sampling of polls......Nowdays,polls are a product that one can purchase,,,and when the stakes are high,and concern political outcomes that can adversly affect the publics perception,,I have no doubt that polls can be bought if you have the money,or the influence and power....
..........from outer space,,,,,d...d....d.....d 
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on May 30, 2002 at 20:26:46 PT
p4me
I wish there was a edit feature too. Hopefully in the near future there can be a preview screen. Keep your fingers crossed and maybe we can get a preview screen but probably not for a little while. You aren't boring at all. What would it be like if people didn't comment here? I read what you said and am hoping they don't plan on taking the BBC Channel off Direct TV. I get news from other news channels on the satellite then the regular network ones. They show less glitter and more guts in the stories they report.
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Comment #3 posted by p4me on May 30, 2002 at 20:12:09 PT
update
It is another strange thing. I said in comment 2 that the 11PM BBC News was taken off the air. It was and tonight is the first night back on after a short absence. Maybe PBS was running a special series on basket making or something. It is still strange. I wish there were an edit feature so I would not have to bore everyone with this.
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Comment #2 posted by p4me on May 30, 2002 at 19:42:21 PT
Columbo would say "Jist one more thing"
Let me say that I wish there were an edit feature for our Cnews comments. I would have liked to have said this in comment 1 so I wouldn't seem so blabby.Just a few weeks ago Dan Rather was on the 11PM public tv broadcast of the BBC News expressing his views and concerns by the silencing of the media by the current administration. He was extremely concerned and it makes you wonder why he didn't do an editorial on the CBS Evening News since he is the anchor.Well now the BBC News has been taken off the air by all of the public network channels. It is a strange thing if you ask me. I amused myself with coming up with the term voteritis for inflamation of the voters. I now have a new term sparked by something similar I read yesterday. We have privitization of our government. Just call up the energy lobbyist or the pill lobbyist and ask them what the government should do. Anybody can be qualified for any public office now if they just remember to call the appropriate industry officials and do what they say.I am just sick of the compassionate conservatism bullshit and that I'll set a new tone for politics in Washington crap. The budget for the US had been done using the numbers for the Office of Budget and Management but now Busch wants to use Republican numbers. Maybe he wants to take advantage of all that laid off Authur Anderson talent.Anyway they tried the pep talk strategy with Greenspan and everyone else a few months ago. Unemployment in North Carolina went to 6.9%, up.3%. Housing starts were down over 8% in March and 5% in April and maybe I should say seasonally adjusted like the big time papers do. Alcatel the French cable manufacturing plant laid off another 150 high paying jobs in Claremont in Catawba County this month. I think the plant will be shutting down soon and those $16 an hour people will be doing $8 an hour temporary work pretty soon.Work cheap. Don't complain. Don't be late. Don't park over the line. Figure out your own healthcare finances. And be happy about it.It is an era of thrifty meals as far as the mind can see. When was the last time they raised the minimum wage and does it seem important we keep it at $5.15 an hour. Yes, I know it is politically correct to be concerned with the upper 1% that own 63% of everything. It just seems like we should remember the hardship of the masses every once in a while.If you look at the medical properties of marijuana we all know it affects mood without ever having to rely on some stupid study. And yes they have pills to help with headaches, migraines, and mood but you cannot plant them in the ground and watch them grow to become free medicine. The woman on Peter Jennings report of "Bitter Medicine" said to get approved as medicine by the FDA you do not have to prove your medicine better than what exist. It only has to be better than nothing. And here is a word that I have not read on the absurd position of the DEA and its Schedule 1 Lie - it is fraud. It is a false statement knowingly made by the DEAth that marijuana has no medical value and that makes it fraud. It is all bullshit and I say it is treason. Of course I am an Extremist and I proudly hang my Washington quarter in my toilet and get pleasure from having it everyday.ICBS,VAAI,POW
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Comment #1 posted by p4me on May 30, 2002 at 18:54:23 PT
Polls are very badly needed
"The insidious inroads that the small but heavily finances drug culture continues to make into the fabric of society
   is truly frightening," said Charles Perkins, president of Drug Watch International, in a prepared statement. "It is
   time for the media to expose these lobbyists, just as they would expose pedophiles who try to influence child
   abuse laws and enforcement."This guy sounds like a nut. Did he get a Joe McCartney speech from the 50's and change the word communist or is he sick enough to make up such hateful garbage and spout it out on his own?
When do we see a question and the results. There is a void in polling on the subject of marijuana and there are no numbers that are current. Lay it on us. We have been waiting a long time. ICBS,VAAI,POW
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