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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 ..

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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!"

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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