The first wave of patients to take advantage of Arizona’s new medical marijuana law may be compelled to apply for home-growing operations because the drug will not be available in licensed dispensaries until late summer, opening the door for thousands of household marijuana gardens.

Ten days after the general election, Arizona's medical marijuana ballot measure appears to be headed toward passage as Maricopa County election officials race to finish counting early and provisional ballots.

Just before 6 p.m. Friday, the Secretary of State's Office reported the measure was leading by more than 4,000 votes. It was the first time the measure had more yes votes than no votes since the ballot tally began Nov. 2.

Maricopa County will count outstanding provisional ballots through the weekend if necessary despite a state law that generally says all vote tallying must be completed by Friday, officials said.

A measure to legalize medical marijuana in Arizona is still trailing but the gap is closing.

The fate of three close statewide propositions may not be known until next week as Maricopa County elections officials need more time to process early and provisional ballots.

Arizona’s medical marijuana proposition is still losing by more than 3,300 votes, a gap that has stayed relatively steady over the last 24 hours. But it’s still too close to call Proposition 203, as 78,000 early and provisional ballots remain to be counted.

Opponents of a measure to legalize medical marijuana in Arizona have seen their advantage shrink as election officials continue to count ballots.

Opponents of a measure to legalize medical marijuana in Arizona saw their advantage grow slightly Saturday as election officials continue to count ballots.

2010 Ballot Measures Results as of 5p.m. Nov. 4

If voters say yes, the operators of the first medical marijuana dispensary say they can open the doors a day after the election.