Medical marijuana passes last House committee
By Andy Birkey 5/8/09 2:37 PM

Minnesota??s medical marijuana bill cleared its last committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives, paving the way for a House vote. It passed the House Finance Committee by a bipartisan vote of 17??6 after no debate. Several major changes were made to the bill to appease law enforcement.

??I have tried to accommodate concerns along the way,? Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) told the committee. ??Thirteen other states have not had the problems that law enforcement is talking about in this state.?

He said they have made significant changes to the bill including a sunset date in fall 2011 and a reduction in the number of plants per patient from 12 plants to 6 plants.

??We??re seeing remarkable momentum for medical marijuana legislation this year, in the House as well as the Senate,? said Rukavina, the House bill??s sponsor, in a statement. ??Scientifically, there??s just no doubt that medical marijuana can relieve suffering for patients who are terribly ill, and the experience of 13 medical marijuana states shows that we can protect those patients without any of the problems that the doomsayers keep warning about.?

Voting for the bill were DFL Reps. Lyndon Carlson, Sr., John Benson, Loren Solberg, Jean Wagenius, Bobby Joe Champion, Karen Clark, Alice Hausman, Bill Hilty, Thomas Huntley, Al Juhnke, Phyllis Kahn, Steve Simon, Michael Paymar and Tom Rukavina. They were joined by Republican Reps. Pat Garofalo, Tom Hackbarth and Mark Buesgens

Voting against were DFL Reps. Kate Knuth, Gene Pelowski, Jr., and Nora Slawik. They were joined by Republican Reps. Ron Shimanski, Mary Kiffmeyer and Tom Emmer.
Galaxy Reviewed by Galaxy on . MN - Medical marijuana passes last House committee Medical marijuana passes last House committee By Andy Birkey 5/8/09 2:37 PM Minnesota??s medical marijuana bill cleared its last committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives, paving the way for a House vote. It passed the House Finance Committee by a bipartisan vote of 17??6 after no debate. Several major changes were made to the bill to appease law enforcement. ??I have tried to accommodate concerns along the way,? Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) told the committee. Rating: 5