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Medical marijuana advocates will wait for next session, new governor

By Joe Kimball | 03/03/10

There won't be any California-like marijuana dispensaries in Minnesota for a while at least; advocates for medical marijuana in the state are holding off on their efforts until next year, when there will be a new governor.

The Minnesota Independent notes that Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill passed by both houses in 2009, so supporters feel they've got a better chance of getting the bill passed again in 2011 and actually signed by a new governor.

Minnesotans for Compassionate Care said: “We intend to do everything in our power to ensure that a supportive gubernatorial candidate is in office when the next legislative session begins in January 2011."

But the group said it will work behind the scenes with law enforcement to see if they still might have a chance for a signable bill this year:

“MCC is meeting with law enforcement to answer their questions and learn about their objections. If law enforcement works with us in good faith, we may be able to introduce a bill that Governor Pawlenty will sign.”

Comments (3)

Submitted by Johnny Green on March 3, 2010 - 11:40am.

I would imagine with all the problems in Colorado and California, the current Governor wanted to just get out of office and make it someone else's problem.

Medical marijuana is getting more complicated with every passing day and every new ordinance across the 14 states that allow medical marijuana. Until the feds step up and enact federal guidelines (not just a memo), states and localities will be left in the dark, and law enforcement will take advantage of the confusion.

Johnny Green
http://www.theweedblog.com

Submitted by Leonard Krivitsky, MD, DD on March 3, 2010 - 2:37pm.

This is sad. This current governor has disregarded both the will of the people and the vote in State Assembly. Truly, the hardest battle to fight is the battle against ignorance. Medical marijuana is effective against a wide variety of medical conditions while it does not have either a lethal overdose cases or any documented physical withdrawal syndrome. The whole idea of a "gateway drug" hypothesis is a fiction, as multiple substances, not just alcohol, or nicotine or marijuana, but all the way down to caffeine or sugar, can serve as a "gateway". The Netherlands, where marijuana is all but decriminalized is in the last place in Europe in heroin abuse, whereas according to the "gateway" hypothesis it should be in the first place. In Canada, where medical marijuana has been legal for some time, the crime rate is lower than in the United States.
I wish your State a better luck with the new and, hopefully, more enlightened Governor next year.

Submitted by Mike Wyatt on March 14, 2010 - 3:34pm.

I'm a bit confused as to why there aren't any legislators that are willing to author a bill for the people of MN to vote on in November?
I know we are not a "I & R" State, but do they not have the option to put it to a vote without citizens authoring the language of the bill?

By now, we've all seen the unfortunate by-products of Pawlenty doing what is politically convenient and his self-serving agendas. Good riddance. Nothing is more offensive than a man who says, "God is in charge," in one breath, and then denies sick and dying people the medicine that helps them. I hope God has a long talk with T-Paw and tells him that "the gates" are locked when his day comes.