MEDICAL MARIJUANA GAINS SUPPORT AMONG CALIFORNIA VOTERS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The use of medical marijuana has gained greater
support among Californians since 1996, when voters passed a pioneering
initiative that allowed doctors to recommend pot to patients, according to
a Field poll released Friday.

About 74 percent of Californians now favor legal protections for patients
who use marijuana to treat a medical condition, compared with the 56
percent of voters who approved Proposition 215 eight years ago, according
to the survey of 500 registered voters.

The poll found increasing support for medical marijuana across all segments
of California's population. About 83 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of
Republicans, 92 percent of liberals and 53 percent of conservatives now
favor Proposition 215.

The poll also found that 50 percent of Californians surveyed believed that
using marijuana isn't any more dangerous than using alcohol, compared with
44 percent in 1983 and 16 percent in 1969. But 56 percent of voters still
oppose the legalization of marijuana for general use. The federal
government, however, continues to fight medical marijuana use, raiding pot
clubs and prosecuting suppliers and growers. Under federal law, marijuana
is classified as an illegal and dangerous drug with no legitimate medical use.