With 82 percent of precincts reporting, Ballot Measure 2 has been rejected by a wide margin, although the newspaper did not report the actual numbers. The defeat comes despite a well-funded campaign. The Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project spent $850,000 in the state to get the measure passed.

The initiative would have made it legal for adults age 21 and older to possess, grow, buy, or give away marijuana. The measure also called for state regulation and taxation of the drug.

In exit polls, voters had various reasons for rejecting the measure. Among them were the state's current addiction problems, concerns about drugged drivers, and sending mixed messages to children.

David Finkelstein, treasurer of one of the main groups pushing for the initiative, said support of the measure was higher before federal officials visited the state to campaign against it.

U.S. Attorney Tim Burgess was pleased with the outcome. "Substance abuse and drug addiction are a tremendous problem in Alaska," he said. "It is something that the law-enforcement community realizes because they have to deal with it every day."

Voters defeated a similar initiative in 2000.

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