LATE-ABORTION BAN LOSES IN MAINE

Maine voters on Tuesday defeated a ban on certain late-term abortions and
approved a proposal to legalize medical marijuana. With most of the
precincts reporting, the anti-abortion proposal lost with 154,580 opposed
and 126,116 in favor. The medical marijuana measure had 130,752 votes in
favor to 82,666 opposed.

The referendum to ban what opponents of abortion call partial-birth
abortion is similar to measures adopted in about 30 states, though the
courts have barred or sharply restricted 20 states from enforcing them.
With recent court decisions going both ways, the showdown seems headed for
the U.S. Supreme Court.

The medicinal-marijuana referendum authorizes possession and use for
specific medical conditions when patients are advised by a doctor that they
might benefit from the drug. The list of qualifying ailments includes loss
of appetite from AIDS or cancer treatments, and the effects of glaucoma and
seizures. Voter approval means the legislation could take effect within 60
days. Elsewhere, voters in Colorado approved a $2.3-billion bond issue for
28 statewide road improvements, including widening congested Interstate 25,
which runs through Denver.