Medical marijuana backers seek inroads in South

(AP)—The home state of the president who didn't inhale has become an unlikely front in the battle over medical marijuana.

This fall, Arkansas will be the first Southern state to ask voters whether to legalize medical uses for pot. The move offers supporters a rare chance to make inroads in a region that has resisted easing any restrictions on the drug.

Top elected officials and law enforcement agencies oppose the idea. But legalization groups hope the referendum shows that medical marijuana is no longer solely the domain of East Coast or Western states.

So far, 17 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana in some form. Massachusetts voters are expected to vote on it in November, and another measure could appear on North Dakota's ballot.