MARSHALL - State Rep. Chris Swedzinski knows many families have been positively affected by the use of medical marijuana and had no qualms with the bill passing Friday, but his decision to vote against the bill rests with his belief that more education should be implemented on the issue. "The biggest issue we have is there are a lot of things we just don't know about," said Swedzinski, R-Ghent. "I believe the FDA should take a leadership position on this, and right now there are big differences between the Senate bill and the House bill. Law enforcement has said they're OK with the House version but against what is going on in the Senate." [continues 460 words]
The proposed "compromise" medical marijuana bill is far from a compromise. This deal is just further proof that Gov. Mark Dayton and the police union leaders to which he is beholden have hijacked the democratic process. If Minnesotans had the opportunity to vote for medical marijuana, it would pass handily. The politicians are manipulating a system that does not allow for an initiative process. The popular support for medical marijuana in Minnesota far outweighs the popular support for Dayton, or any House member for that matter. [continues 98 words]
I believe that everyone in Minnesota should grow a patch of marijuana for our neighbors who are suffering with chemo-nausea and epilepsy, for free, and also make it illegal to sell it or drive under the influence of it. Marijuana is native to our state as hemp. Henry Ford designed his first horseless carriage to run on hemp oil, a renewable energy. The oil companies were not amused and began a century-long campaign against the horrors of drugs. Anyone in our state who is growing a traditional flower and herb garden has a pharmacy at hand, including some beautiful, legal, deadly poisonous varieties. [continues 338 words]
Proposals prohibit smoking medical marijuana, leaving pills and vaporizers as ways to ingest the drug. Minnesota might see a law to legalize medical marijuana this year, but not in a form that would allow anyone to smoke the drug. A Senate panel on Friday struck smoking from its medical marijuana bill, meaning patients who qualify for access to the drug would have to use a vaporizer, or ingest it in pill or oil form. The more restrictive House bill also prohibits smoking as a delivery method, leaving little chance that any final version of the measure would allow it. [continues 496 words]
The executive directors of the Minnesota Law Enforcement Coalition, writing about public perceptions of their involvement in the debate over medical marijuana ("Law enforcement is open to careful first steps," April 30), choose not to mention a study about marijuana that has in fact already been completed. The American Civil Liberties Union reported in 2013 that despite evidence that blacks and whites use marijuana at similar rates, blacks are 7.8 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession in Minnesota. To determine why that is, here is the study I suggest the Legislature move forward with. First prohibit police agencies from (1) receiving the proceeds from forfeitures, (2) applying for or receiving grants in which marijuana enforcement is an outcome measure and (3) undertaking searches based solely on the presence of marijuana ... and then measure the changes to law enforcement's interest in the health impacts of marijuana. Michael Friedman, Minneapolis The writer is executive director of the Legal Rights Center. [end]
Aside from helping a relatively small group with intractable seizures, anorexia or nausea, the proposal for medical marijuana would provide a large group of individuals with chronic pain, PTSD, etc., with a mood-altering drug. If the goal is an improved quality of life by mood alteration, wouldn't more be better? If marijuana is good, why not go for great with legal cocaine, methamphetamine and narcotics? Just thought I would ask ... Nicotine in cigarettes and e-cigarettes, like THC in marijuana, is a neurotransmitter. Many people with psychiatric disease use nicotine to treat their illness, as marijuana users might. Why should society discriminate against those who self-medicate with nicotine by high taxes and no-smoking areas and not marijuana? Just thought I would ask .. [continues 90 words]
ST. PAUL (AP) - A rift among Minnesota supporters of legalizing medical marijuana could make it harder to get legislation in front of Gov. Mark Dayton this year. Committees in both the House and Senate were debating competing legislation Friday. A Senate panel stripped the option of smoking marijuana as medication from its bill on Friday morning. But the House version is even more limited in how the drug may be accessed. If used in leaf form, for example, it could be done only through medically supervised delivery by vaporizer. [continues 657 words]
Regarding Rep. Steve Drazkowski's Apr. 28 op-ed, if Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton was stricken with cancer, would he seek help from a doctor or a police officer? The "further study is needed" ruse has gone on long enough. It's really quite simple. While there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and it helps them feel better, then it's working. No further study is required. [continues 82 words]
ST. PAUL -- Amelia Weaver gets a legislative hearing for her eighth birthday today. Her parents, Josh and Angie of Hibbing, hope it is a happy birthday for their daughter with Dravet syndrome, which causes frequent seizures. Today's hearing could be a big step to allow using parts of the marijuana plant to control those seizures, as well as other serious medical conditions in people of all ages. The House rules committee takes up the medical marijuana issue, which has been stalled in another committee for weeks as law enforcement organizations, prosecutors and some doctors opposed it. What supporters call a compromise bill emerged Thursday and the committee will consider it today, with the prospects of moving the issue to a full House vote next week. [continues 549 words]
Sheriffs, Prosecutors and Cops Hit Back As Legalization Proposal Sails Through Various Committees. Minnesota police officers, sheriffs and prosecutors pushed back hard Wednesday against legalizing marijuana for medical use, as a proposal to do just that picks up steam in the state Senate. "It will end up in the hands of our children," said John Kingrey, executive director of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association. "It will result in more kids being arrested for possession of marijuana. We believe it sends the unintended message to our youth that marijuana is a safe substance." [continues 460 words]
Over the past few weeks, one of the most frequent topics of conversation I've had with constituents is medical marijuana. As you know, marijuana is illegal, and Minnesota's doctors are barred from prescribing it. The bill under debate would change that for medicinal purposes, providing that their patients were diagnosed with certain ailments. Gov. Mark Dayton has been tap-dancing around this issue. He doesn't want to sign a medical marijuana bill unless it has support from law enforcement. But he also wants to gain favor from those who support the bill, so he suggested delaying the decision on the issue and requiring Minnesota taxpayers to pay for a Mayo Clinic study determining whether marijuana has medical benefits. [continues 445 words]
Stalled Proposal Is Suddenly on a Fast Track After Languishing for Weeks at the Capitol. The proposal to legalize medical marijuana rose from political limbo at the Capitol on Friday, putting a controversial issue on a sudden fast track in the Minnesota Senate. In a 7-3 bipartisan vote, legislators moved to pass a bill that would allow doctor-monitored access to marijuana for patients diagnosed with cancer and other maladies. The panel vote gives new life to a bill that's been stalled for nearly a month and which still faces opposition from Gov. Mark Dayton. [continues 668 words]
Supporters of legalizing the drug are taking their fight into the spotlight, saying medical marijuana has failed to gain traction in state. Recreational marijuana advocates say that medical marijuana proponents have had a shot at legalization. Now it's their turn. Backers of recreational legalization say they support the medical marijuana bill and tried to let its backers have the spotlight but grew frustrated at the lack of movement. Minnesota NORML is taking its own push more public, starting with a rally Wednesday in the Capitol rotunda that drew several hundred people who joined in chants of "Yes We Cannabis!" [continues 906 words]
An April 21 letter stated that marijuana has "never been proven beyond anecdote" to be harmful to one's health. However, many studies have shown otherwise. The National Institutes of Health links long-term marijuana use to respiratory problems and cognitive deficiencies, especially when used by young people. Heavy use of alcohol and other legal substances also has negative health effects, so I have not yet decided whether I think marijuana should be legalized. But its impact on health should not be minimized. HEIDI SELTZ, Minneapolis [end]
Doctors Share Support, Though None Were Present. Parents of ailing children, doctors and clergy are intensifying their push to persuade legislators and Gov. Mark Dayton to legalize medical marijuana this year. "Our leaders here in Minnesota have the opportunity to heal the sick and bind up the injured," said the Rev. Catherine Schuyler, of Duluth. "They have the opportunity to make good medicine available to those who are in pain." Minnesotans for Compassionate Care, the group leading their effort, held a news conference at the Capitol on Tuesday to announce that 100 doctors and religious leaders from around the state support the measure, although no doctors attended the event. [continues 260 words]
ST. PAUL - The looks on Minnesota legislators' faces before they began a holiday break told the story: They are tired. The 201 legislators put in long hours the past couple of weeks debating and initially passing pretty much every major bill of the 2014 session, often going well after dark just as spring presents Minnesotans with longer days. When asked about what would happen after the Legislature returns on April 22 following an Easter-Passover break, Rep. Dan Schoen, D-St. Paul Park, showed the exhaustion common to many as the House was adjourning Thursday night. [continues 1392 words]
Grant Limited Immunity To Those Who Call For Help In Overdose Cases. This potentially deadly scenario happens far too often these days in Minnesota: A small group of friends gets together to get high, and their preferred drug is heroin. Then one shows signs of an overdose, and the others are afraid to act. They know having that drug is illegal and fear that calling for help could get them arrested. But making that call could potentially save a life. That's why Minnesota needs a law that would provide arrest immunity for lower-level drug users who report problems - and allow the use of an effective antidote drug. [continues 615 words]
A public hearing was held by the Health and Human Services Committee after senators revived the measure. State senators revived a stalled proposal legalizing medical marijuana Thursday, in response to chiding from Gov. Mark Dayton that legislators were avoiding the controversial issue. Photos by GLEN STUBBE gstubbe@startribune.com Angie Weaver comforted her daughter Amelia, 7, at a Senate hearing about a medical marijuana Thursday at the State Capitol. Amelia suffers from a rare form of epilepsy, called Dravet Syndrome, that can be effectively treated with a substance extracted from marijuana, which currently illegal in Minnesota. [continues 667 words]
Counterclaim Says Hansen, As a Farmer, Has the Right to Grow Marijuana NEW ULM - A Mankato attorney for a 33-year-old New Ulm man facing felony violations related to a marijuana-growing operation in his home filed an answer and counterclaim Friday in Brown County District Court. Jon G. Hansen II, 2201 N Broadway, was charged Feb. 4, with felony 4th degree controlled substance sale in a park zone, felony 5th degree controlled substance sale, felony 5th degree controlled substance possession and petty misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession. [continues 669 words]
Misleading details cloud debate about medical marijuana. Governor should do what's needed to help patients. The debate about medical marijuana has ramped up, with the governor unwilling to sign a bill to help the sick, disabled and dying because of unjustified cries of law enforcement groups. There has been a plenty of odd and misleading information and suggestions that have come to light, including: News reports have stated that the possession and sale of 1.5 ounces or less of marijuana is a petty misdemeanor. That is true for only possessing less than 1.5 ounces. However, sale or manufacture of any marijuana is a felony! The sale of even one seed, stem, or one-tenth or less of a single gram is a felony. [continues 192 words]
MN NORML will meet in the Brainerd Public library at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Brainerd public library is located at 416 South Fifth St. MN NORML is the Minnesota chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). NORML supports medical marijuana legislation and legalizing everyday use by responsible adults. NORML advocates regulating and taxing marijuana. The MN NORML meeting is open to the public. [end]
The Notion That Pot Is a Gateway Drug Limits Children's Grasp of Safer Substance Use. Lawmakers who are critical of marijuana often point to the drug's status as a "gateway" to harder substances. However, recent studies suggest that alcohol consumption and tobacco use are more likely to lead to hard drugs than marijuana. With these results in mind, Minnesotans should question their view of pot while lawmakers are on the verge of considering medical marijuana. A 2012 study in the Journal of School Health revealed that alcohol served as gateway drug for high school students, leading to tobacco, marijuana and more illicit drug use. In addition, the 2013 Boynton Health Services survey shows that 23 percent of all tobacco users at the University have used other illegal drugs (not including marijuana) in the past year, compared to just 3.5 percent of non-tobacco users. Given statistics showing loose links to numerous drugs, rather than pot as the sole instigator, we need to re-evaluate drug education and future legislation. [continues 388 words]
ST. PAUL - Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton says he does not expect his proposal to study medical marijuana to pass this year's Legislature. In a WCCO radio interview, he called changes for the plan "slim and none." Advocates of a bill, stalled in the Legislature, would not support his plan, he said. He opposes the bill to legalize marijuana for use to control seizures and extreme pain because law enforcement groups do not support the use of plant marijuana. Dayton suggested giving the Mayo Clinic $2.2 million to conduct a clinical study of a chemical found in marijuana to help control children's seizures. He also wanted a study about how states that already allow medical marijuana have fared. The governor said he will bring back his study proposal next year. [end]
A Hibbing child who has become a centerpiece in the discussion about whether to legalize medical marijuana in Minnesota will be the subject of a benefit dinner next month. The "Amelia Bedelia Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction" will take place for Amelia Weaver beginning at 6 p.m. April 25 at the Hibbing Park Hotel, organizers said. Amelia, 7, has been diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a form of epilepsy that causes her to experience more than 30 seizures a day and has severely hampered her development. Her parents, Josh and Angie Weaver, have said they will move to Colorado if medical marijuana doesn't become legal in Minnesota this year. They cite reports of children with Dravet Syndrome who have been helped by a form of medical marijuana in Colorado. [continues 82 words]
To the editor, The Kenyon Leader should give an opposing position to Kevin Sabet's discredited claims (Myths Of Legalizing Medicinal Marijuana, Mar. 13, 2014), which are too many to list. Even the Reefer Madness government subsidized prohibitionists quit using the historically discredited "gateway theory" decades ago. Cannabis (marijuana) is less addictive than coffee: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Addictive_Properties#sthash.P8dh79U1.dpbs. Cannabis has been documented medicinally for over 5,000 years without a single death; that's safety on a Biblical scale. The plant is safer than every pharmaceutical drug it replaces. Colorado citizens have used cannabis medicinally with protection from overzealous government for over a decade and continue to use it while cannabis has completely become re-legalized and the sky hasn't fallen in. Truthfully, Stan White [end]
Rep. Melin, Hibbing Resident at Odds With Gov. Dayton ST. PAUL -- DFL Rep. Carly Melin of Hibbing and city resident Angie Weaver urged Gov. Mark Dayton to give seriously ill Minnesotans access to medicinal marijuana during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. Melin made an impromptu speech during the meeting imploring the governor to rethink his stance about legalizing medical marijuana in Minnesota. Melin authored a bill to legalize medical marijuana but has received strong opposition from Dayton and lawmakers throughout the session. [continues 864 words]
ST. PAUL -- DFL Rep. Carly Melin of Hibbing and city resident Angie Weaver urged Gov. Mark Dayton to give seriously ill Minnesotans access to medicinal marijuana during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. Melin made an impromptu speech during the meeting imploring the governor to rethink his stance about legalizing medical marijuana in Minnesota. Melin authored a bill to legalize medical marijuana but has received strong opposition from Dayton and lawmakers throughout the session. "I know Gov. Dayton personally and he is a very compassionate person," said Melin while fighting back tears. "I think that he can change his mind and change his approach and we can get something done that is going to result in getting these families what they need." [continues 817 words]
ST. PAUL -- The debate over medical marijuana has been front and center this legislative session, with the spotlight landing heavily on Rep. Carly Melin, a Hibbing DFLer who doggedly pushed the drug's legalization for medicinal use since last spring. But efforts by the 28-year-old, second term representative to allow patients suffering from serious medical conditions access to the drug have evoked several thorny exchanges between Gov. Mark Dayton and law enforcement officials, who aligned in opposition of the proposal. [continues 1645 words]
College of Biological Sciences Professors Say the Bill Could Expand Crop Studies. Legislation that would authorize the University of Minnesota to perform agricultural or academic research on hemp is moving through the state Capitol this session, gaining support from some faculty members. Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, is sponsoring a bill that would authorize higher education institutions to perform industrial hemp research by allowing the Commissioner of Agriculture to administer the growth and cultivation of the crop through a pilot program. [continues 484 words]
Twenty states have legalized medical marijuana in the past two decades. During that time, calls to national poison centers pertaining to marijuana exposure in children have doubled. The detection of marijuana in fatally injured drivers has tripled. Despite safety concerns, there is no standardization of marijuana dosing, packaging or delivery systems. THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana plants, has increased in concentration from 4 percent in the 1980s to 15 percent in 2012. Marijuana is the most common illicit substance identified among patients admitted to drug rehabilitation programs. The decision of whether a plant with intoxicating properties should be legalized for medicinal use belongs in the domain of medical professionals, the FDA and law enforcement - not the Minnesota Legislature, Gov. Mark Dayton or newspaper editorial boards. Maria K. Poirier Rochester [end]
The Chemical Health Initiative of Goodhue County in collaboration with other coalitions and state agencies across Minnesota worked together to sponsor a professional forum on Feb. 13 at the Mall of America. Dr. Kevin Sabet spoke about the consequences of legalizing medicinal marijuana. In addition to CHI staff, school staff from Goodhue and Red Wing were in attendance. Sabet brought a wealth of knowledge and experience from working directly with Colorado after marijuana was legalized. Sabet is the director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida and an assistant professor in the College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. He is also the co-founder of Project SAM; Smart Approaches to Marijuana. He is a policy consultant to numerous domestic and international organizations through his company, the Policy Solutions Lab. [continues 1376 words]
NEW ULM - A New Ulm man charged with growing and selling marijuana will argue in court that he has a constitutional right to make his own health decisions, according to his attorneys. Calvin P. Johnson and Elizabeth Levine of Mankato, said in a press release Saturday that John Hansen II "is fighting for his personal, individual right to use an effective remedy to treat his unmitigated and enduring anxiety... Through using marijuana, Jon gains benefits which he does not gain by any other means." [continues 133 words]
Area legislators haven't made medical marijuana a key issue, and their responses generally fall along party lines. Sen. Kathy Sheran, D-Mankato: She voted for medical marijuana in 2009 and predicted before the session that the state Senate would support "some prescription option to give relief to people." "I am cautious about it," she said, saying she wants a bill tailored to medical use with controls about the safety of the drug. Rep. Clark Johnson, D-North Mankato: He said he's open-minded about the topic and wants to learn more about it. He hopes law-enforcement officers can understand the drug has medical value. [continues 180 words]
Medicinal Marijuana Debate Continues in Legislature Rachael Nelson is 11 years old, and her Mankato family has tried everything to stop the seizures. Diets, medication, even a nerve stimulator implanted in her chest. Not only did the drugs not stop her seizures, they had nasty side effects, like vomiting and drowsiness so bad she couldn't go to school. One drug made her seizures worse and another stopped her breathing. Rachael has Rett syndrome, a rare brain disorder that overwhelmingly affects girls. She started having seizures at about 18 months and has had "hundreds and thousands" since then, said her mother, MaryAnn. [continues 2373 words]
NEW ULM -- A New Ulm man is challenging his February arrest for a marijuana growing operation that was discovered in his house. He filed a motion to dismiss his case Wednesday in Brown County District Court. Jon Hansen II, 33, of New Ulm is charged with felony fourth-degree and fifth-degree controlled substance sale, felony fifth-degree controlled substance possession and petty misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession. At the time of his arrest, police reportedly found fifteen different marijuana plants that were being grown in Hansen's mobile home. [continues 120 words]
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." [continues 853 words]
To paraphrase a passage from the commissioners' commentary, let's have a little word game and see where it goes. While the benefits of alcohol are poorly documented, there's no shortage of evidence regarding its negative effects on individuals and communities. For example: Alcohol can disrupt learning and impair memory; Alcohol can exacerbate mental illness; Alcohol use during pregnancy can harm a baby's brain development; Alcohol can impair drivers, causing automobile crashes that kill or injure innocent people; Alcohol is addictive; 1 in 6 of those who start using in their teens develop dependency. OK, I didn't match all the bullet points (two were questionable), but clearly we should make alcohol illegal. Oh, wait a minute - we tried that, and it didn't work. Charles Nichols, Brooklyn Center [end]
Commissioners Make a Flawed Case Against It In a March 12 commentary, the commissioners of the Minnesota departments of Health, Human Services and Public Safety (Ed Ehlinger, Lucinda Jesson and Mona Dohman, respectively) cite the need for more research on medical marijuana, but they curiously leave out the reason such research is impossible: Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I narcotic. This puts it on the same list as heroin and ties the hands of researchers who do want to quantify and validate the overwhelming anecdotal evidence the authors deem unworthy of consideration. [continues 57 words]
Commissioners Make a Flawed Case Against It The three commissioners begin their commentary with the pronouncement that they "know how difficult it can be to watch a loved one struggle with major illness or chronic pain." I do not know their experiences, but obviously, they don't know mine. They write that they "appreciate the commitment with which families search for effective treatments." Obviously, they don't. People in crisis suffering from disabling illness and pain know better. As patients, we search for anything that works, regardless of these three bureaucrats' protestations about "efficacy, effective safeguards, side effects and other factors." [continues 147 words]
Most political observers agreed that legalizing marijuana for medical purposes faced a tough fight in this year's legislative session, especially after Gov. Mark Dayton said he wouldn't sign the bill without the support of the law enforcement community. But the landscape of the issue changed briefly last week when the Minnesota Law Enforcement Coalition said it was open to discussing medical marijuana becoming legal in extract form. The coalition, which represents the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the Minnesota Sheriffs Association, the Minnesota Chief of Police Association and the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, announced a list of acceptable conditions for medical use of marijuana. [continues 517 words]
ST. PAUL -- Despite gutting her medical marijuana bill over the weekend, Iron Range Rep. Carly Melin continues to be on the other side of Minnesota law enforcement, who remain staunchly opposed to her measure and with little middle ground to offer. Prohibiting the smoking on marijuana, adding seed and plant tracking systems, removing the ability to grow cannabis plants and siphoning excess revenue to law enforcement entities just weren't enough to appease state law enforcement officials, Rep. Melin said on Tuesday. [continues 817 words]
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A key Minnesota lawmaker said Tuesday she doesn't see a path forward for legalizing medical marijuana after talks with law enforcement hit a standstill. Rep. Carly Melin said she had conceded to virtually all demands from law enforcement over the weekend but was still unable to get their support for her bill. Melin said she had no choice but to postpone a House committee hearing that would have been lawmakers' second look at the issue. "Law enforcement won't support any bill that would result in helping any patients," Melin, DFL-Hibbing, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "The governor has to get involved." [continues 224 words]
ST. PAUL --There's no one view among doctors about whether Minnesota should legalize medical marijuana. In one camp, there are physicians like Dr. Jacob Mirman, a primary care doctor in St. Louis Park who says a few patients have told him they use marijuana to cope with medical conditions. Mirman hasn't personally recommended that patients use it, and doesn't take a position on the specifics of a bill currently advancing at the Capitol. But he supports the idea of making medical marijuana legal - in part because the risks seem small compared to those with some prescription painkillers. [continues 1216 words]
During this short session of the Minnesota Legislature there is one bill citizens of the state should be urging their senators and representatives to approve: The legalization of medical marijuana. What we are talking about is a marijuana plant from which the beneficial chemicals within the plant can be harvested and synthesized into pill or liquid form to be given to people suffering from a variety of debilitating diseases or conditions. One of those people who would benefit from passage of the law is Greta Botker. She's a smiley little seven-year-old girl suffering from a rare condition that for most of her life have caused her to have 12 to 15 seizures a day. Multiple drug regimens and a frightening brain surgery have done little to change her condition, her mother Maria (Boone) Botker says. Then news began to spread of a drug called "Charlotte's Web", which was derived from a specially designed marijuana plant. [continues 882 words]
Duluth Mayor Don Ness today expressed support for allowing Minnesotans to use marijuana to help treat painful illnesses, but stopped short of endorsing a bill making its way through the state Legislature. "I've never smoked pot, but I support providing a legal option for Minnesotans to use it to help treat painful illness," Ness wrote on his Twitter account. A Minnesota House committee earlier this week approved the use of marijuana to help suffering patients after hearings that included emotional testimony about a 7-year-old girl who suffers multiple daily seizures, and whose parents believe the drug may help their child. A similar bill still awaits Senate committee action. [continues 631 words]
Is marijuana an effective treatment for pain, illness and disease? It's a question many Minnesota physicians are pondering as the Legislature prepares to debate a measure that would allow doctors to prescribe some form of the drug. Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Michael Bostwick reviewed more than 100 medical studies and reports on the possible benefits and risks of marijuana. He published his findings in February 2012 in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Bostwick said most marijuana studies are not high-quality because they're not randomized, controlled studies -- the kind the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires to approve any new medication. [continues 582 words]
ST. PAUL -- A Minnesota House committee approved the use of marijuana to help suffering patients after 7-year-old Amelia Beaver provided an example Tuesday night of why some want the practice legalized. Advertisement The girl suffered a seizure, one of 30 she suffers a day, while her mother told the Minnesota House Health and Human Services Policy Committee on Tuesday that marijuana could help her daughter. "It would be the best day of my life if I could hear my daughter say 'momma' again," Angie Beaver of Hibbing said, adding that there is evidence that marijuana can help some patients regain speech and reduce seizures. [continues 558 words]
ST. PAUL -- Mothers tearfully described how their babies suffered as many as 100 seizures a day before receiving marijuana treatment as they begged lawmakers late Tuesday to legalize the drug for medical use in Minnesota. Others told a state House committee how the drug helped alleviate pain and different ailments from suffered from cancer and glaucoma. One mother described watching her daughter's face disappear inch by inch as surgeons removed malignant melanoma, saying her child's pain and lost appetite was relieved only by medicinal marijuana. About half a dozen others said it helped their children's seizures. [continues 599 words]
A Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana Had Its First Committee Hearing Tuesday. The discussion of whether to allow medical marijuana in Minnesota kicked off in the state Legislature on Tuesday, marking the proposal's first step in the legislative process. The House's Health and Human Services Policy Committee weighed the pros and cons of legalization in front of a packed hearing punctuated by emotional testimony. Authored by Rep. Carly Melin, DFL-Hibbing, the measure would allow people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer or HIV to use marijuana based on a doctor's recommendation. If it passes, individuals with state-issued medical marijuana identification cards could purchase or grow up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. [continues 106 words]
Is marijuana an effective treatment for pain, illness and disease? It's a question many Minnesota physicians are pondering as the Legislature prepares to debate a measure that would allow doctors to prescribe some form of the drug. Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Michael Bostwick reviewed more than 100 medical studies and reports on the possible benefits and risks of marijuana. He published his findings in February 2012 in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Bostwick said most marijuana studies are not high-quality because they're not randomized, controlled studies -- the kind the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires to approve any new medication. [continues 585 words]
Minnesota
