Pubdate: Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2014 Star Tribune
Contact: http://www.startribunecompany.com/143
Website: http://www.startribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/266
Authors: Baird Helgeson and Patrick Condon

A SUDDEN SHIFT FROM DAYTON ON MARIJUANA

Governor Said He'd Work for Compromise After Hearing Advocates' Stories.

Wrapped in a body cast as he recovers from hip surgery, Gov. Mark 
Dayton was on the phone Thursday with reporters, laying out all the 
reasons he remained opposed to the legalization of medical marijuana.

Outside the wrought-iron gates of his Summit Avenue residence, 
demonstrators were gathering. Some held aloft a "get-well" card that 
offered some caustic tips for a speedy recovery like, "Stop bowing 
down to law enforcement."

To their surprise, Dayton's chief of staff came outside and said that 
the governor wanted to meet with a smaller contingent. The 50 or so 
demonstrators marched inside and sent 11 representatives upstairs to 
the governor's private family rooms.

By the end of the meeting, with Dayton left pained by the stories 
he'd heard, the governor had a revised take on the issue. Dayton said 
he would direct his top commissioners and staffers to meet with the 
group and see if some compromise could be reached in the remaining 
two months of the legislative session.

Minutes earlier, Dayton had been on the phone broadening and 
sharpening his criticism of medical marijuana. The legalization bill 
at the Capitol, he said, would treat marijuana differently from 
nearly every other medicine controlled by a system of tightly 
regulated production, stringent testing and supervision by pharmacists.

He told reporters the bill's proposed system of 55 nonprofit 
distribution sites was "just folly." Law enforcement had impressed 
upon him that if medical marijuana were legalized, it would find its 
way into the hands of children and recreational users. Health experts 
had told him the medicinal qualities of the drug were unproven.

Patrick McClellan, a former chef from Burnsville, was among the 
demonstrators who filed into Dayton's room. He told the governor of 
the muscle spasms and pain caused by his muscular dystrophy. He said 
inhaling marijuana through a vaporizer is one of the few things to 
bring relief. "My only choice is to buy it on the black market," 
McClellan said. "I don't believe I should be forced to go on the 
street to buy something that cures my symptoms." Several parents in 
the group said they believed the drug would help treat the diseases 
of their children.

Dayton's spokesman said after the meeting it was difficult for the 
governor to hear from Minnesotans "enduring such pain and suffering." 
Hard choices

Whether to legalize marijuana for medical use has at least 
momentarily dominated debate around the Capitol, taking on national 
implications as Minnesota becomes the newest state to delve deeper 
into the controversial issue.

For months, Dayton's criticism has centered on law enforcements' 
strong objection to legalizing marijuana for patients with a doctor's 
prescription, arguing that it would be too hard to control and could 
lead to full-scale legalization.

Earlier this week, the issue reached a deadlock at the Legislature, 
leading the bill's sponsor, Rep. Carly Melin, to pull her proposal.

Thursday's demonstration was organized by the advocacy group 
Minnesotans for Compassionate Care. Dozens of activists signed a 
large card for Dayton that read: "Key to a speedy recovery: 1. Stop 
bowing to law enforcement; 2. Show some backbone."

McClellan described the meeting afterward as "emotional."

The governor, he said, "did say there is still plenty of time, that 
there's two months left in the session, that it is not dead." Fresh hope

Heather Azzi, political director for the compassionate care group, 
said she hopes access to senior members of the administration will 
give new life to the push for the legislation.

T.J. Nelson, a student who lives near Brainerd, said marijuana has 
helped alleviate symptoms of his Crohn's disease, including digestion 
problems, severe stomach pain and loss of appetite.

"This really shouldn't be a bureaucratic decision at all," Nelson 
said. "Why are lawyers and legislators making decisions that should 
be between a doctor and a patient?"

Melin, a DFLer from Hibbing, has been pressing Dayton to broker an 
agreement after advocates failed to appease law enforcement's objections.

She said Thursday that she is hopeful, "but I am not going to bang my 
head against the wall" to pass a bill Dayton won't sign.

The governor said the medical-marijuana issue is politically vexing. 
Some 20 states have already legalized medical marijuana, and Colorado 
and Washington have legalized recreational marijuana as well. A governor torn

Dayton said Thursday that he is torn between vigorously defending 
laws he took an oath to uphold while acknowledging that marijuana is 
already widely available.

"I uphold the laws of this state and country as they are written," 
Dayton said. "But I also deal with reality."

The governor said law enforcement has told him that marijuana can be 
found readily in virtually any city in Minnesota. The state has 
already decriminalized possession of minor amounts. If buyers are 
caught with a small amount, they face only a petty misdemeanor - the 
equivalent of a traffic ticket.

Dayton noted wryly that like it or not, the state has "a perfectly 
efficient distribution system." He added that "I am not advocating 
anybody do what it is they do. I am pointing out the reality in our society."

[sidebar]

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Where is it legal: 20 states permit medical-marijuana use; two, 
Washington and Colorado, have legalized recreational use. Minnesota 
status: Bill stalled in Legislature. Who's for it: Patients and 
parents of sick kids, who say the drug could ease their suffering. 
Who's against it: Cops and prosecutors, who fear more marijuana will 
be available to teens.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom