Medical marijuana bills challenge Bible Belt politics

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Views about medical marijuana appear to be changing across the South, where efforts to legalize it have long been stymied by Bible Belt politics. Medical cannibas is legal now in 33 states, but most Southern states remain among the holdouts. Kentucky’s House cleared a historic hurdle by passing a medical marijuana bill, which now goes to the state Senate. Alabama senators passed a bill. And in Mississippi, voters will get to decide the issue themselves with a ballot measure this November. Supporters in Kentucky say it’s about health. Detractors worry it’s a slippery slope to recreational drug use.