As California looks for solutions to its ongoing budget problems, 47% of voters in the state say marijuana should be legalized and taxed.

But nearly as many (42%) oppose the state legalizing and taxing the drug to help fix the state’s budget problems, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of California voters. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure which course to follow.

Nationally, 41% of voters think the United States should legalize and tax marijuana to help solve the nation’s fiscal problems, but 49% are opposed.

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A majority of California voters ages 18 to 29 and of those 40 to 64 favor legalization and taxation of pot.

Fifty-five percent (55%) of Democrats in the state think it’s a good idea, but 54% of Republicans and 50% of voters not affiliated with either party disagree and oppose such a move.

State legislators are expected to consider legislation to legalize and tax marijuana later this year. The use of marijuana for medical reasons has been legal in the Golden State since 1996.

President Obama’s drug czar Gil Kerlikowske has indicated that the new administration will move away from the long-standing war on drugs toward more emphasis on health treatment for drug users. But 54% of U.S. voters say illegal drug use is primarily a criminal justice issue rather than a matter of public health.

Fifty-five percent (55%) of California voters oppose the budget deal worked out by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators to close a $26-billion budget deficit.

One reason for the budget problem is the significant strain that illegal immigrants put on the state’s finances, according to 64% of California voters.

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