Newsbrief: Montana Medical Marijuana Initiative Winning Two-To-One in Poll 10/1/04 http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/356/poll.shtml According to a poll published Tuesday by the Missoulian newspaper, Montana voters favor an initiative that would approve the use of medical marijuana in the state by a two-to-one margin of 58% to 29%, with 13% undecided. The poll, a survey of 625 likely voters, was conducted by Mason-Dixon polling for a consortium of Montana newspapers last week. These same voters told pollsters they would approve a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage (61% to 32%) and a rise in tobacco taxes to pay for health programs (59% to 30%). The medical marijuana initiative, known as I-148, is sponsored by the Medical Marijuana Policy Project of Montana (http://www.montanacares.org), or MMPPM, and would protect patients, caregivers (growers), and doctors from arrest or prosecution under state law. The initiative would set up a state registry of patients and set limits on the number of plants that patients or caregivers can grow. It would also allow people arrested on marijuana charges to raise medical necessity as a defense. The poll found women more likely than men to support the initiative, with 63% of women saying they would vote for it, compared to 53% of men. Men were also more likely to vote against gay marriage and taxing tobacco. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/356/poll.shtml