Medical Marijuana Wins in Massachusetts

Massachusetts voters Tuesday supported a medical marijuana initiative there by a margin of nearly two-to-one, according to partial results Tuesday evening. With half the vote counted, Question 3 was winning handily by a margin of 63% to 37%. It maintained that same lead when all the votes were counted Wednesday.

Bay State voters' adoption of a medical marijuana program will make Massachusetts the 18^th state to approve medical marijuana. It is also legal in the District of Columbia.

The measure would allow people suffering from a debilitating medical condition to use medical marijuana upon the recommendation of a doctor with whom they have a bona fide relationship. Patients could possess up to a 60-day supply -- what constitutes that supply will be determined by the Department of Health. The initiative would also set up a system of nonprofit medical marijuana cultivation and distribution centers.

Led by the Committee for Compassionate Medicine, with help from the ACLU of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, the Question 3 campaign was low-key, well-funded and tightly controlled. That strategy worked in the Bay State, despite late opposition from law enforcement, the medical profession, and political figures.