Voters weigh in on issues of marijuana use

On Nov. 2, Montana became the 10th state to approve the use of medical marijuana. Meanwhile, voters in Alaska and Oregon rejected marijuana initiatives on their ballots.

Nearly 63% of Montana voters approved a measure to legalize medical marijuana, according to results from the Montana secretary of state.

Similar to other states with medical marijuana laws, Montana will allow patients who are under medical supervision to produce, possess and use the substance to alleviate the symptoms of debilitating diseases such as cancer, glaucoma and HIV/AIDS.

A patient or the patient's caregiver will have to register with the state to legally grow and possess limited amounts of marijuana. To register, a patient will need a written certification from a physician stating that the patient has a debilitating medical condition and would benefit from using the drug.

Montana Medical Assn. members have not yet discussed what this will mean for physicians in the office setting, said G. Brian Zins, the group's executive vice president and CEO.

The MMA opposes the measure. "Its passing does not change our position," Zins said.

In Alaska and Oregon, physicians also opposed the marijuana-related measures.

Alaska residents considered a ballot question that would have decriminalized marijuana for adults. Nearly 57% of Alaska voters rejected the measure. Medical marijuana has been legal in Alaska since 1998.

In Oregon, where medical marijuana is already legal, citizens were asked to expand the law. The Oregon Medical Assn. fought the initiative because it believed the expansion was an attempt to try to legalize marijuana under the guise of medical use.

Voters defeated the measure, with nearly 58% casting ballots against it, according to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, Elections Division.