A new PPIC poll out tonight shows Steve Poizner cutting sharply into Meg Whitman's lead in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

The beneficiary, at the moment anyway, is Jerry Brown.

In a general election matchup, Brown now leads Whitman 42-37. That's a 10-point swing from the last poll, taken in March, which showed Whitman leading Brown 44-39. Most of the difference (7 points) is due to a drop in support for Whitman.

Like other polls, the PPIC survey shows tightening on the Republican side. Whitman's lead over Poizner is 38-29. In March, it was 61-11.

The poll shows that Whitman is still the stronger general election candidate. In a matchup against Brown, Poizner trails 45-32.

The poll also shows that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's approval rating has hit a record low (23%).

Another finding: While Californians strongly support medical marijuana (76% in favor), the poll shows they are evenly split on whether to legalize pot, with 49% in favor and 48% opposed.

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