BALLOT MEASURES ALLOW SOME POT USE

(AP) State and federal laws against marijuana didn't stop a number of
states from voting to permit its use under certain circumstances. But
Alaska turned down the chance to make the drug completely legal.

In Mendocino County, Calif., 115 miles north of San Francisco, voters
approved a measure that would allow residents to grow up to 25 pot plants
apiece. The measure faced no organized opposition. The county would still
prohibit the sale or transportation of the drug, but busting small-time
growers and smokers would, officially, remain a low priority for the sheriff.

Voters in Nevada and Colorado approved measures permitting doctors to
prescribe marijuana for the seriously ill. In the last four years, similar
medical-marijuana measures have become law in California, Oregon,
Washington, Alaska, Maine and Hawaii.

Nevada has strict anti-marijuana laws. But the state's policy-making drug
commission, which fought the measure two years ago, was silent this year.

Advocates of medical marijuana use say it helps people suffering from
ailments like glaucoma, nausea from chemotherapy and appetite loss from
AIDS (news - web sites). Opponents, including the American Medical
Association, say marijuana, when smoked, can contribute to cancer.

Alaska voters rejected legalizing the drug under a ballot initiative that
would have made Alaska's marijuana laws the most liberal in the country.
The measure would have done away with civil and criminal penalties for
people 18 or over who use marijuana or hemp products. People previously
convicted of marijuana crimes would have been granted amnesty.