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 [11] was winning handily [12] by a margin of 63% to 37%. It maintained that same lead when all the votes were counted Wednesday.
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 [13], with help from the ACLU of Massachusetts [14] and the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance [13], 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.