Minnesota: Medical marijuana bill nears House vote

ST. PAUL â?? More than 10,000 seriously ill Minnesotans could control pain with marijuana legally if a bill headed to the full House becomes law.

The House Ways and Means Committee voted 13-4, with 12 members absent, Wednesday to advance the measure. But Gov. Tim Pawlenty is likely to veto it if the House passes the measure.

â??Gov. Pawlenty stands with law enforcement in opposition to this bill,â?� Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said.

Even if the bill faces a veto, sponsor Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, said it is important to pass it as a message to Minnesotans.

The issue has arisen several times over the years, but has failed to pass the House. It passed the Senate last year, so if the House passes the measure â?? as Huntley expects â?? it heads directly to Pawlenty.

Many legislative committees heard testimony last year, so none was accepted on Wednesday.

Huntley said there are two changes from a year ago. One is that the College of American Physicians has endorsed medical marijuana use.

The other change, he said, is that â??some of the people who testified last year have died.â?�

The bill allows doctors to approve marijuana use to reduce chronic pain. Patients could have up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana at any one time.

If the bill became law, state officials predict at least 10,000 Minnesotans would use marijuana.

Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion, a Pawlenty appointee, said in an interview that medical marijuana decisions should be made by the federal Food and Drug Administration, which approves other drugs.

â??The Legislature is going to replace this process,â?� Campion said. â??It doesnâ??t make sense.â?�

â??How do you regulate it?â?� he asked. â??Who tests it?â?�

A dozen other states allow medical marijuana use, and Neal Levine of the Medical Marijuana Policy Project said it is important to those with chronic pain.

â??The states are trying to protect their own citizens because the federal government arrests sick people,â?� Levine said.

Federal authorities have arrested people using marijuana for medical reasons, citing laws outlawing the practice.

â??The overwhelming majority of the public supports it,â?� Huntley added.

Don Davis works for Forum Communications Co., which owns the Bemidji Pioneer.
Bemidji Pioneer

Best of luck to all our friends in Minnesota...

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

YA BOY!!! JUST ONE MORE PERSON AND WERE NUMbER 13!!!

(KAAL) -- Within the next week, a bill legalizing medical marijuana in Minnesota could be even closer to becoming law.

The Senate has already approved the bill, and it's expected to hit the House floor in about a week.

Ads are already hitting the airwaves asking the governor not to veto the bill like he's promised.

Like the governor, the Minnesota Sheriffs Association and the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association are against medical marijuana.

"They can say they've got a prescription but if we call the doctor, they're not going to release if they have a prescription. It becomes a HIPAA issue," says Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi.

Patients who have tried it say they've felt fewer side effects than they would have had with other medical prescriptions. They say it's good for reducing nausea and pain, keeping their weight, and getting needed sleep and relaxation for healing.
KAALtv.com - Medical Marijuana Bill Moves Forward

Another state inching closer.......best of luck!

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

A brand new ad by the Marijuana Policy Project will begin airing Thursday on cable stations in greater Minnesota and statewide next week.

The latest in the series features former Fillmore County sheriff and state representative, Neil Haugerud.

In the 60 second ad, Haugerud says he is in constant pain because of an inflammation of the spine and says he has discussed the use of marijuana with his doctors.

"If there is something out there that can help me, like marijuana, I'd like to use it," said Haugerud.

He also said members of law enforcement who are speaking out against legalizing medical marijuana should stick to upholding the law.

"Law enforcement, I think, is stepping out of bounds. Law enforcement is there to enforce the laws in relation to what the law is, they really don't need to influence on what the laws should be," said Haugerud.

Many in law enforcement feel it would be too difficult to enforce medical marijuana laws, and fear legalizing it would cause flooding of marijuana into the criminal market.

Neal Levine, director of state campaigns for the Medical Marijuana Policy Project, said if the bill is passed, the process for which a person would be able to use medical marijuana would be highly regulated.

Levine said a doctor would have to classify a patient with having a qualifying condition and then recommend to the state health department the patient use marijuana. After the patient presents their written submission and a fee, and the health department approves it, they would be sent a card with a photo ID and a unique identifying number that would be tied to a blind data base.

In Minnesota it is illegal to use marijuana for any reason, but that could soon change.

A bill headed to the House floor seeks to make Minnesota the 13th state to allow medical marijuana. The Senate already approved the legislation last year.

If it passes the House, the bill will then go before Governor Tim Pawlenty who is expected to veto. He has said he stands with law enforcement in opposition of the bill.

The Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project says it's spending more than $100,000 to air the television ads.
kare11.com :: KARE 11 TV - Medical marijuana controversy heats up with latest ad

Another update for my friends to the west.

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

Comment posted by Anonymous on Fri, 05/23/2008 - 2:14pm
It's unfortunate that you point out that a Republican governor in MN would 'likely' have vetoed a bill that the majority party (read Democratic) failed to put on his desk in spite of the overwhelming support among their base voters. Time and again Republicans are blamed for their opposition, and Democrats are given a pass, as in the article above.
Feature: Medical Marijuana at the Statehouse -- Stalled in St. Paul, Progress in Providence, Coming Out in Columbus | Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)

I see that they didn't even put it up for vote so it is pretty much a dead issue. Keep up the faith and hopefully next year!

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

Pray for me guys.... annnnd......... if it doesn't pass............



Pray for Paulenty :P

Ok then, pray for Paulenty.