The New Mexico Senate has handed a lopsided victory to backers of a bill to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes in the state, The New Mexican reported Feb. 1.

The medical-marijuana measure sponsored by Sen. Cisco McSorley (D-Albuquerque) passed on a 34-6 vote; despite lobbying against the measure by the White House drug czar's office, 12 of the 18 Republicans in the state Senate voted to approve the bill, including two of its most conservative members.

Some lawmakers said appeals by Erin Armstrong, the cancer-stricken 24-year-old daughter of state Aging and Long-Term Services secretary Debbie Armstrong, helped sway their opinions.

The measure now goes to the state House, where a similar measure died last year. House Speaker Ben Lujan recently met with medical-marijuana supporters but also said he was disappointed that the Senate made the bill such a high priority in the state's short legislative session. "I would have hoped that the first bills passed would have addressed issues that are more at the forefront of what the general public really wants," he said.

Lujan added, however, "I'm not going to derail this bill or attempt to keep it from being heard." And a lawmaker who blocked the House bill last year said he had no plans to do so again this year.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is on record as saying he would sign a medical-marijuana bill that is not in conflict with federal law and doesn't expose state agencies to possible harm.