VOTERS BUST HOPE TO MAKE POT LEGAL

The movement to relax the country's marijuana laws abruptly lost its buzz
Tuesday.

With several pro-marijuana state ballot initiatives going down to defeat,
pot advocates can't help but wonder if the United States will ever relax
its rules on dope.

"I'm not going to try and dress up a pig," said Rob Kampia, executive
director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington-based group that was
behind pot proposals in Nevada, Arizona and elsewhere. "This is pretty
disappointing."

Though Canada and several European countries have liberalized their
marijuana laws, Americans showed Tuesday that they aren't willing to follow
suit:

In Nevada, 61 percent of voters opposed a proposal that would have allowed
anyone to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana.

In Arizona, 57 percent killed a plan that would have made state law
enforcement the broker for medicinal marijuana.

In Ohio, 67 percent opposed a proposal that would have allowed nonviolent
drug offenders to seek treatment instead of serve jail time.

Pot proponents did have one minor victory. In San Francisco, voters
approved a proposition that directs the city to explore growing and
distributing marijuana for medicinal purposes.

The Nevada referendum marked the fourth time a broad marijuana initiative
has failed at the polls. In 1972, Californians overwhelmingly voted down a
proposition that would have allowed them to grow and possess small amounts
of pot. Voters in Oregon and Alaska defeated pro-pot proposals in 1986 and
2000, respectively.

Those votes showed changes won't come easily on the state level. And after
the big Republican wins Tuesday night, few think any attempt to revamp
marijuana laws on a national level stands a chance.

"These failed initiatives represent the high-water mark of the drug
legalization movement," John Walters, director of National Drug Control
Policy said in a statement. "Common sense has prevailed."

Kampia said his group --- which has the backing of corporate financier
George Soros --- will focus on pushing medical marijuana initiatives in
selected states. Currently, eight states have legalized marijuana for
medicinal purposes.

Scores of other referendums were decided Tuesday:

Animal welfare: Florida banned the caging of pregnant sows, a move aimed at
industrial-style hog farms. Oklahoma banned cockfighting, leaving only
Louisiana and New Mexico as states permitting the blood sport. Georgia
approved the sale of a special license plate to fund spay-neuter programs.
Arizona defeated a measure to support greyhound tracks by allowing them to
host other forms of gambling.

Education: Over Gov. Jeb Bush's objections, Florida approved a measure to
use state funds to cut class sizes. Florida also approved a free pre-k
program. Massachusetts passed, while Colorado defeated, plans to replace
bilingual education with English-immersion programs. California approved an
Arnold Schwarzenegger-touted measure to spend $550 million on after-school
programs.

Food: Oregon defeated a measure to require labeling of genetically altered
food. Berkeley, Calif., turned down a measure to require restaurants to
serve shade-grown, organic coffee.

Government: Los Angeles defeated a move to permit Hollywood and the San
Fernando Valley to secede from the city. California and Colorado defeated
measures to join six other states in allowing Election Day voter
registration. Georgia approved a measure prohibiting people with unpaid
taxes from holding public office. Oregon removed racist language from its
constitution.

Health: Florida approved a ban on indoor smoking at workplaces, including
restaurants. Oregon defeated a measure to provide universal health
insurance, which critics had said was too expensive.

Lotteries: North Dakota and Tennessee approved state lotteries, leaving
just 10 states without them.

Taxes: Voters in Washington state and parts of Virginia turned down new
taxes to fund transportation. Miami, however, approved a half-cent sales
tax for transit. Massachusetts rejected a measure to eliminate the state
income tax, and Arkansas defeated a measure to remove taxes on food and
medicine.