Updated Nov. 6 | 9 p.m.

Voters just say no to pot, and other ballot questions

By ERIN KELLY
Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON — Election Day delivered a victory for pregnant pigs and a defeat for pot smokers.

Voters throughout the country were in the mood to help animals, punish cigarette smokers and boost education funding, but they rejected measures to legalize marijuana and keep drug addicts out of jail. In Oregon, which led states in the number of ballot measures, voters rejected proposals to provide universal health care for all residents and require labeling of genetically modified food.

Animal rights activists, who have a record of success with initiatives, once again scored some big victories. Florida voters approved an initiative to ban farmers from keeping pregnant pigs in cramped crates and Oklahomans banned cockfighting, ending a rural tradition that detractors denounced as animal cruelty. Arkansas voters, however, refused to make animal cruelty a felony.

Marijuana advocates failed to build on recent victories, which had included legalization of medical marijuana in several western states. Nevadans rejected an initiative that would have legalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Arizona residents refused to allow marijuana's use for medical purposes. And South Dakotans turned down a measure to legalize the sale of marijuana plants, also called hemp, solely for the purpose of making paper, rope and textiles.

Ohio voters turned down a much broader change in drug policy that would have required nonviolent drug offenders to undergo treatment rather than incarceration.

Proponents of drug law changes said Wednesday that they have no plans to give up. They attributed Tuesday's defeats to misleading information put out by their opponents.

"These are just bumps on the road," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of Drug Policy Alliance. He predicted that Alaska and California will be the next states to consider legalizing marijuana. New York, Maryland, New Mexico and Connecticut state legislatures are likely to consider legalization of medicinal marijuana, Nadelman said.

"No serious social change has ever come easy in this country," said Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project. "This is the beginning of the long struggle."

Voters got tough on cigarette smokers, passing a Florida initiative to ban smoking in most public places and raising cigarette taxes in Arizona. However, a measure to quadruple the cigarette tax in Missouri failed narrowly.

Costly education spending initiatives passed in Florida despite warnings from Gov. Jeb Bush that the state could not afford them. Florida voters passed measures that would force the state to reduce class size and offer free pre-kindergarten classes to all 4-year-olds. Education initiatives also proved popular in California, where voters passed a proposal by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to increase funding for after-school programs by about $400 million a year.

Bilingual education questions got mixed results. Massachusetts voted to replace bilingual education with one year of English immersion while Colorado defeated a similar measure.

Gambling initiatives drew mixed reactions from voters. Tennessee approved a new state lottery, North Dakota voted to let the state join a multistate lottery, and Idaho passed a measure to allow Indian tribes to install electronic gaming machines on reservations. However, Arizona voters rejected a large expansion of Indian gambling and defeated a plan sponsored by dog and horse track owners to allow racetracks to offer slot machines.

Nevadans - who live in a state known for gambling and legalized prostitution - passed a measure that limits marriage to a union between a man and a woman. Conservative groups pushed the initiative as a way to ward off any attempt by gay rights groups to legalize same-sex marriage.

(Contributing: GNS reporter Svetlana Kolchik)