CALIFORNIA TO VOTE ON POT LEGALIZATION

A California voter initiative that would legalize possession and sale
of marijuana has qualified for the November ballot, state election
officials said on Wednesday, in what supporters called a "watershed
moment" for their cause.

Passage of the measure, by no means certain, would make California the
first U.S. state to legalize marijuana. Backers believe the state
could be at the vanguard of a national movement toward decriminalizing
the drug.

"Banning marijuana outright has been a disaster, fueling a massive,
increasingly brutal underground economy, wasting billions in scarce
law-enforcement resources and making criminals out of countless
law-abiding citizens," said Stephen Gutwillig, California director of
the Drug Policy Alliance, which has spearheaded the ballot initiative.

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen said in a written statement
that her office had certified the measure for the Nov. 2 general
election ballot after backers submitted the required number of
signatures on petitions.