UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16.
Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b).
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   O'Brien, James J.

   50 E. RiverCenter Boulevard
   Covington, Kentucky  41012
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   Ashland Inc.
   ASH
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)

4. Statement for Month/Year
   December 13, 2002
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)

6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   ( ) Director ( ) 10% Owner (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other
   (specify below)
   Chief Executive Officer
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person


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 Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned                                                 |
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1. Title of Security       |2.    |3.    |4.Securities Acquired (A)         |5.Amount of        |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect       |
                           | Transaction |  or Disposed of (D)              |  Securities       |ect   |  Beneficial Ownership     |
                           |      |      |                                  |  Beneficially     |(D)or |                           |
                           |      |    | |                  | A/|           |  Owned at         |Indir |                           |
                           | Date |Code|V|    Amount        | D |    Price  |  End of Month     |ect(I)|                           |
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Common Stock               |      |    | |                  |   |           |3,192 (1)          |I     |By Trustee                 |
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Common Stock               |      |    | |                  |   |           |400 (2)            |I     |By Trustee                 |
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Common Stock               |      |    | |                  |   |           |1,318              |D     |                           |
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned                                                   |
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1.Title of Derivative |2.Con-  |3.   |4.    |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount  |8.Price|9.Number    |10.|11.Nature of|
  Security            |version |Transaction | rivative Secu |cisable and|  of Underlying     |of Deri|of Deriva   |Dir|Indirect    |
                      |or Exer |     |      | rities Acqui  |Expiration |  Securities        |vative |tive        |ect|Beneficial  |
                      |cise    |     |      | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/|                    |Secu   |Securities  |(D)|Ownership   |
                      |Price of|     |      | posed of(D)   |Day/Year)  |                    |rity   |Benefi      |or |            |
                      |Deriva- |     |      |               |Date |Expir|                    |       |ficially    |Ind|            |
                      |tive    |     |      |           | A/|Exer-|ation|   Title and Number |       |Owned at    |ire|            |
                      |Secu-   |     |    | |           | D |cisa-|Date |   of Shares        |       |End of      |ct |            |
                      |rity    |Date |Code|V|  Amount   |   |ble  |     |                    |       |Month       |(I)|            |
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Option (3)            |33.125  |     |    | |           |   |9-16-|10-16|Common Stock|1,000  |       |1,000       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |94   |-03  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |33.125  |     |    | |           |   |9-16-|10-16|Common Stock|500    |       |500         |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |95   |-03  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |33.125  |     |    | |           |   |9-16-|10-16|Common Stock|500    |       |500         |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |96   |-03  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Option (4)            |35.875  |     |    | |           |   |9-15-|10-15|Common Stock|750    |       |750         |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |95   |-04  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |35.875  |     |    | |           |   |9-15-|10-15|Common Stock|375    |       |375         |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |96   |-04  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |35.875  |     |    | |           |   |9-15-|10-15|Common Stock|375    |       |375         |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |97   |-04  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Option (4)            |33.875  |     |    | |           |   |9-21-|10-21|Common Stock|1,000  |       |1,000       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |96   |-05  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |33.875  |     |    | |           |   |9-21-|10-21|Common Stock|500    |       |500         |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |97   |-05  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |33.875  |     |    | |           |   |9-21-|10-21|Common Stock|500    |       |500         |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |98   |-05  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Option (4)            |31.125  |     |    | |           |   |11-2-|12-2-|Common Stock|4,000  |       |1,581       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |96   |05   |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |31.125  |     |    | |           |   |11-2-|12-2-|Common Stock|2,000  |       |2,000       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |97   |05   |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |31.125  |     |    | |           |   |11-2-|12-2-|Common Stock|2,000  |       |2,000       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |98   |05   |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Option (4)            |39.00   |     |    | |           |   |9-19-|10-19|Common Stock|5,000  |       |5,000       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |97   |-06  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |39.00   |     |    | |           |   |9-19-|10-19|Common Stock|2,500  |       |2,500       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |98   |-06  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |39.00   |     |    | |           |   |9-19-|10-19|Common Stock|2,500  |       |2,500       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |99   |-06  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Option (5)            |53.375  |     |    | |           |   |9-18-|10-18|Common Stock|5,000  |       |5,000       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |98   |-07  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |53.375  |     |    | |           |   |9-18-|10-18|Common Stock|2,500  |       |2,500       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |99   |-07  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |53.375  |     |    | |           |   |9-18-|10-18|Common Stock|2,500  |       |2,500       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |00   |-07  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Option (5)            |48.00   |     |    | |           |   |9-17-|10-17|Common Stock|5,000  |       |5,000       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |99   |-08  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |48.00   |     |    | |           |   |9-17-|10-17|Common Stock|2,500  |       |2,500       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |00   |-08  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |48.00   |     |    | |           |   |9-17-|10-17|Common Stock|2,500  |       |2,500       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |01   |-08  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Option (5)            |36.625  |     |    | |           |   |9-16-|10-16|Common Stock|15,000 |       |15,000      |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |00   |-09  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |36.625  |     |    | |           |   |9-16-|10-16|Common Stock|15,000 |       |15,000      |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |01   |-09  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |36.625  |     |    | |           |   |9-16-|10-16|Common Stock|15,000 |       |15,000      |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |02   |-09  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |36.625  |     |    | |           |   |9-16-|10-16|Common Stock|15,000 |       |15,000      |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |03   |-09  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Option (6)            |36.38   |     |    | |           |   |9-20-|10-20|Common Stock|12,500 |       |12,500      |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |02   |-11  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |36.38   |     |    | |           |   |9-20-|10-20|Common Stock|6,250  |       |6,250       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |03   |-11  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |36.38   |     |    | |           |   |9-20-|10-20|Common Stock|6,250  |       |6.250       |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |04   |-11  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Option (6)            |28.13   |     |    | |           |   |9-19-|10-19|Common Stock|65,000 |       |65,000      |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |03   |-12  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |28.13   |     |    | |           |   |9-19-|10-19|Common Stock|32,500 |       |32,500      |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |04   |-12  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |28.13   |     |    | |           |   |9-19-|10-19|Common Stock|32,500 |       |32,500      |D  |            |
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |05   |-12  |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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Common Stock Units    |1-for-1 |12-13|J   | |32         |A  |     |     |Common Stock|32     |$28.860|            |D  |            |
                      |        |-02  |    | |           |   |     |     |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |1-for-1 |12-16|J   | |700        |A  |     |     |Common Stock|700    |$29.760|88,728 (7)  |D  |            |
                      |        |-02  |    | |           |   |     |     |            |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |        |     |    | |           |   |     |     |            |       |       |            |   |            |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

Explanation of Responses:
1.  Shares accrued under Ashland's Leveraged Employee Stock Ownership Plan as
of 9-30-02.
2.  Based on Employee Savings Plan information as of 9-30-02, the latest date
for which such information is reasonably available.
3.  Employee stock option (represents a right to buy Ashland Common Stock)
granted pursuant to Ashland's Long-Term Incentive Plan.  The employee stock
option includes a tax withholding feature
pursuant to the
plan.
4.  Employee stock option (represents a right to buy Ashland Common Stock)
granted pursuant to Ashland's 1993 Stock Incentive Plan.  The employee stock
option includes a tax withholding
feature pursuant to the
plan.
5.  Employee stock option (represents a right to buy Ashland Common Stock)
granted pursuant to Ashland's 1997 Stock Incentive Plan.  The employee stock
option includes a tax withholding
feature pursuant to the
plan.
6 . Employee stock option (represents a right to buy Ashland Common Stock)
granted  pursuant to Ashland's Amended and Restated Incentive Plan.  The
employee stock option includes a tax
withholding feature pursuant to the
plan.
7.  Common Stock Units acquired pursuant to Ashland's 1995 Deferred
Compensation Plan as of 12-16-02, and exempt under Rule 16b-3(d).  (One (1)
Common Stock Unit in the 1995 Deferred
Compensation Plan is the equivalent of one (1) share of Ashland Common
Stock)feature pursuant to the plan.
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
M. Craig Hall - Attorney-in-Fact
DATE
December 16, 2002