PHOENIX — Arizona voters have approved a measure that will legalize medical marijuana use in the state for people with chronic or debilitating diseases.

Final vote tallies showed Saturday that Proposition 203 won by a tiny margin of just 4,341 votes out of more than 1.67 million votes counted. The measure had started out losing on Election Day by about 7,200 votes, but the gap gradually narrowed in the following 10 days.

‘Now begins the very hard work of implementing this program in the way it was envisioned, with very high standards,’ said Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project. ‘We really believe that we have an opportunity to set an example to the rest of the country on what a good medical marijuana program looks like.’

Arizona is the 15th state to approve a medical marijuana law. California was the first in 1996, and 13 other states and Washington, D.C., have since followed suit.

The Arizona measure will allow patients with diseases including cancer, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and any other ‘chronic or debilitating’ disease that meets guidelines to buy 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks or grow plants.

The patients must get a recommendation from their doctor and […]