MARIJUANA MEDICAL USE IS AHEAD IN EARLY RETURNS

AUGUSTA, Maine - After a lopsided campaign in which proponents raised
and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and opponents made their
case mainly by word of mouth, early returns showed Maine voters
supporting a proposal to legalize marijuana for certain medicinal uses.

With 124 of 664 precincts reporting, unofficial returns produced a
majority favoring passage of 61 percent to 39 percent.

The unofficial raw vote from the first 19 percent of precincts was
48,335 in favor of the measure and 30,483 against.

Voter approval would mean that the proposed legislation could take
effect within 60 days.

The citizen initiative asked voters: ''Do you want to allow patients
with specific illnesses to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for
treatment, as long as such use is approved by a doctor?''

Question 2, similar to legislation enacted in several other states,
was designed to authorize possession of marijuana for specific medical
conditions when patients are advised by a doctor they might benefit
from it.

The list of qualifying ailments includes persistent nausea, vomiting,
loss of appetite from AIDS or cancer treatments, glaucoma, and
seizures or muscle spasms from chronic diseases such as epilepsy.

The proposed law defines a usable amount as up to 1.25 ounces of
harvested marijuana and up to six marijuana plants, no more than three
of which may be mature, flowering plants.

Mainers for Medical Rights, virtually unchallenged by organized
opposition as it promoted passage of the marijuana proposal, reported
receipts of about $650,000 through Oct. 21 to finance its drive.

Critics of the initiative challenged the value and reliability of
privately obtained marijuana.

Also at issue were at least some of the claims by proponents that it
would be beneficial in the cases outlined in the proposal.

The ballot initiative drew opposition from the Maine Medical
Association and some law officers.

Since 1996, five states - California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and
Arizona - have passed medical marijuana initiatives. Voters in the
District of Columbia also registered approval.

Gov. Angus King came out against enactment, noting a conflict between
the proposal and federal law and suggesting that for some proponents,
the initiative would be ''a first step toward the ultimate
legalization of marijuana.''