SALT LAKE CITY — If it were up to voters, medical marijuana would be a thing in Utah, at least according to the latest poll.

Utah Policy surveyed voters and found that 66 percent of those polled favor legalization of marijuana "as long as it is prescribed by a licensed doctor."

Conversely, 28 percent of Utahns polled either strongly oppose or somewhat oppose legalizing marijuana, and 5 percent don't know where they stand.

The data shows support among 55 percent of Republican and 90 percent of Democratic voters, as well as from independents, where 76 percent are in favor of legalizing the plant for medical use.

And 55 percent of the voters who are self-declared "very active" in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say they would support legalizing marijuana for medical use. Forty percent of LDS voters polled are opposed, according to Utah Policy.

The LDS Church urged a cautious approach to the issue, particularly when it comes to access, distribution, control and the potential harm of the hallucinogenic compound that is found in marijuana. In a statement, it raised no objection to the use of marijuana extracts to help people who are suffering as long as it is regulated.

Catholics polled also favor legalization, 77 percent to 13 percent who oppose it, Utah Policy reports. And 86 percent of those polled who claim no religious affiliation favor legalizing medical marijuana.

The poll also found that the older the voter, the more support exists, as 59 percent of polled voters ages 18 to 24 favor legalization, whereas 67 percent of those ages 45 to 54 favor it, and 69 percent age 65 and older stand to support it.

The process to legalization, however, has not been taken directly to voters, as a ballot initiative has only been proposed as a last resort when lawmakers dismissed various bills addressing medical marijuana over the past two years.

Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Saratoga Springs, who is not seeking re-election, brought up the subject in the 2015 legislative session, and his bill passed through a committee but failed to gain support of the Senate body. This year, a continued interest took a second bill of his through multiple iterations, winning support of the Utah Senate and through a House committee. It failed to make it to a vote on the House floor.

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"Sen. Madsen has advanced this conversation so quickly," said Turner Bitton, president of the Drug Policy Project of Utah. He pointed to other issues that have taken much longer to solve, including nondiscrimination and Medicaid expansion, which have both taken up a chunk of lawmakers' time.

Despite the possibility it could take years, the Drug Policy Project of Utah prefers the legislative approach, as other states have run into complications when implementing programs and having to deal with lawmakers who were circumvented in the process by a ballot initiative. Bitton said a ballot initiative would not only complicate the process but would also take some time to implement a program.

A public vote on medical marijuana, Bitton said, might get Utah on the medical marijuana bandwagon, but the legislative route will elicit the same response and put regulators on the same side.

"I'm confident in 2017 that it will happen," he said, adding that the result of Madsen's last stand (which endured five substitutions via various amendments and changes) was similar to the even more popular SB73 sponsored by Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City. Vickers' bill also endured many changes, gained support in the Senate and nearly made it through the House before the session ended.

Bitton said Vickers' bill, which the LDS Church did not object to, is exactly the type of program Utah needs. The program outlined in the bill would enable 75,000 Utahns to access marijuana for medical purposes, and was arrived at after much input from stakeholders and the general public was given.

"Utahns want somewhat of a compromise," Bitton said. "They want a tightly regulated program that can't be accessed by children and teenagers, and they don't want it to lead to widespread legalization."

He said he believes the issue will be "resolved in the Legislature in short order."

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All candidates running for Utah governor this year have also expressed support of some type of a robust medical cannabis program, including Gary Herbert, who has said he recognizes the support from Utahns. His Republican opponent, Jonathan Johnson, has also said he favors a strong program to help Utahns who need it. And on Saturday, Democratic candidate Mike Weinholtz told his supporters that his wife has recently come under investigation for possession and use of cannabis for chronic pain problems she experiences.

"She's only used it for medical reasons," he said. "She has severe arthritic and nerve pain."

Weinholtz mentioned support for medical cannabis is strong in Utah. He said it "should have passed" in the last legislative session.

"Now that we've put a very public face on it and we can represent the interests of so many thousands of Utahns who face this issue every day, I think we'll get it passed next session," Weinholtz said.

Given the albeit differing degrees of support for anyone seeking the governor's mansion in Utah, Bitton said he's confident the Utah Legislature will continue to give the issue "a good-faith approach" until it is passed.

There's no word yet, however, on which lawmakers may carry on the discussion. And the potential for a ballot initiative has disappeared this year, as deadlines have passed.

The poll results can be found at utahpolicy.com. Dan Jones & Associates conducted the telephone survey, reaching 600 Utah voters between March 23 and April 5. It lists a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.

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