JUDGE ALLOWS MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISSUE TO MAKE WAY TO D.C. BALLOT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge's decision could pave the way for
supporters of legalizing marijuana in the nation's capital for medical
purposes to place the matter before city voters this fall.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Thursday overturned a federal
law that had effectively blocked District of Columbia residents from
putting the issue on the ballot.

The law was first enacted by Congress 1998, after district residents
voted to legalize marijuana for medical use. Known as the Barr
Amendment for its sponsor, Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., the law has since
been added yearly to legislation governing federal spending in the
district.

The ballot initiative, which supporters want to again place on the
city's ballot in November, would change city law to make it legal for
seriously ill patients to get and use marijuana if their physicians
recommend it.