After the Political Smoke Clears, Marijuana Still Will Be Somewhat Easy to Obtain

Minnesota is debating whether it should be the 13th state to allow its citizens with chronic pain and debilitating illness to use marijuana. The bill is currently before the Minnesota House and likely will make its way to Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s desk, where it will join a long list of vetoes. Should Minnesotans worry that legalized medical marijuana will lead to legalized marijuana? And should patients worry about becoming illegal drug users to endure their severe symptoms if Pawlenty uses his pen?

The answer to both questions is no. Marijuana is practically legal in Minnesota already, and chronically ill patients likely would have less logistical issues (and probably less financial drain) by buying in relatively small quantities on the street and crossing their fingers that they don’t get caught.

Under the medical marijuana bill, it would cost $100 a year for patients to obtain their registration card, not to mention countless hours of paperwork to get approval from Minnesota’s health commissioner for that card. For patients not living near the proposed nonprofit organization charged by the state for cultivating and selling the marijuana, they or their caretaker may be in for lengthy road trips to purchase it.

In bypassing the proposed system, they could take their chances by buying it on the street where it is cheap and widely available. If they get caught, it could cost them an extra $100, but they won’t have to fill out any paperwork for the state (the taxpayers pay someone to do that already).

Since 1976, Minnesota has been one of 11 states that have marijuana decriminalization laws on the books. The sentence for possession of up to 1.5 ounces marijuana (a typical marijuana cigarette is less than 0.2 ounces) is $200 with possible drug counseling. Patients would be wise to purchase their marijuana tax stamp, however, or they could be slapped with tax evasion and fined up to $14,000 or serve up to seven years in prison if they are caught with any amount of marijuana (Note: Each gram is $3.50, and all individual containers must display the stamp. In 2004, the state collected $11,000 on the marijuana tax stamp).

And they should take care not to smoke it in a bar or restaurant. As of Oct.1, it will be a $300 fine in Minnesota for smoking indoors. Yes, that’s right. In Minnesota, the fine is stiffer for smoking indoors than it is for getting caught with 20 joints worth of marijuana.

Realistically, chronically ill patients shouldn’t have to buy marijuana off the street where safety is an issue — not just their personal safety they risk in buying from a drug dealer but also the risk of consuming an unregulated street drug that could be tainted. And they should not have to feel like a criminal to find relief from suffering.

Law enforcement groups have claimed that the legalization of medical marijuana will add extra work for officers on the street. It might, but in the seven states that have a state agency regulating medical marijuana, only 14,000 patients were registered out of a combined population of 14.2 million. It’s a small task with a good cause. The governor should ask himself which is worse before he rejects this bill: more work for an officer or less pain for a suffering human being.