Medical marijuana bill introduced in the Senate

Reforming the way we control marijuana has huge support in this country.

Recent voting in MA and MI plus polls on change.gov and change.org, revealed that this issue is not only essential to the public but also urgent.

The single biggest obstacle in making this happen is getting the DEA and ONDCP to formally and scientifically justify why they oppose any reform at all.

This should be the job of the media.
Marijuanagate is here and now, it’s up to the media to reveal it.

I am so happy to see this legislation active. I’ve been writing my reps and hope others will do the same. No one should suffer needlessly, and if there are alternatives to pharmaceuticals that don’t cause side effects for people, they need to have access. Walk a mile in someone’s shoes that needs medical cannabis and you will not be able to tell them “no” in good conscious. The people of Minnesota understand this, and its time for our legislators to do the right thing. When policy is carefully written, the concerns of law enforcement are met. Medical marijuana is tightly controlled and does nothing to promote illegal activity. Anyone that says differently is, well, blowing smoke.
This is a happy day. Governor Pawlenty, do the right thing and do not veto this compassionate bill.
Law enforcement will still continue on as always. It just won’t have to harass the sick and dying if this legislation passes. Contact your reps and tell them you support this bill! Thank you!

Regulating marijuana as a dangerous medicine is as illegitimate as regulating it as a dangerous useless substance. Marijuana IS NOT dangerous. There is absolutely no scientific support whatsoever behind the ideas that marijuana affects people negatively over either the short or long term. Switching from treating marijuana users as the same as meth addicts to treating them the same as oxycontin addicts, what medical marijuana legislation does, is not the right solution.

Yes, the sick should be able to have access to marijuana as it improves their lives and alleviates their pains considerably. But that is a subset of the overall truth that EVERYONE should be able to have access to marijuana. The government has no right to regulate what citizens do or do not put into their bodies. This is a power never given to them by the Constitution and therefore reserved to the citizenry themselves. Marijuana was made illegal by bigots who wanted an excuse to jail Mexican immigrants and for no other reason. No justifiable reason has ever been put forward to explain why marijuana should remain illegal.

Law enforcement and politicians should have absolutely no say in this matter. If course they will oppose it – it constitutes a real reduction in their control over the citizens. We cannot expect them to be so virtuous that they would sacrifice their own power for the betterment of the citizens and the extension of the principles of liberty on which this country was founded.

Put the issue to the people, and let them represent themselves, as our representatives seem less interested than ever in the task.

Society does not give government the authority to ban substances for personal use.

Legalize it. Tax it. Fix the damage to our economy that the Republicans have done.

otakucode summed it up better than I could have hoped for. Just legalize it, for everyone. Legalize it and tax it. I can’t think of a better way to take a dent of our half-billion dollar budget deficit.

Has Alaska gone to hell since legalizing possession and growing of small amounts for personal use? If Alaska can handle it, why not Minnesota? Quit pussy-footing around with medical-only marijuana. Get your hands off our freedom and do like Peter Tosh said: Legalize it, don’t criticize it!

Legalize it for everyone not just the dying. Thousands die from asperin each year. No one has ever died from marijuana. Stop filling the jails with innocent pot smokers while the registered 4 time sex offenders are living down the block.

How can you have a green revolution without the 1000’s of natural products made from HEMP

Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness!

All Doctor’s should simply be allowed to recommend Cannabis Medicine as they see fit for Any ailment they AND their Patient(s) deem treatable by the use of Cannabis. PERIOD!

To even Suggest that people Not on death beds cannot realize comfort from their conditions is Ludicrous, based upon Ignorance and Reefer Madness fear.

Pre Prohibition Cannabis was in Most Pharmacopoeia, from Baby Teething/Colic drops to Horse Liniment and Nobody gave it a Second thought.

The power of FEAR over this humble, Efficacious PhytoMedicine is remarkable. It is Remarkable how People can so easily be convinced of the Farces we are subjected to.

Cannabis is Not addictive in the traditional sense at all.

Certain people with a Propensity to Addictive behavior Can become Psychologically Dependant, but “withdrawals” are nil (Coffee abstinence is Worse!) It is not physiologically possible because Cannabis is not actually a drug, we have Receptors Already built in to our bodies to utilize this medicine. Does Morphine? Tylenol? Does Vicodin? No, And they ARE actually Highly Addictive.

If Your Lawmakers Continue to Refuse to use Science and Common Sense as a foundation for Governing Cannabis: FIRE THEM!

They, I suggest, Support Not their Constituents, but rather those who Support Prohibition Because They Profit From Cannabis Prohibition!

$7.7 Billion Tax Dollars Spent Annually on JUST Cannabis Eradication Programs is PURE Pork Waste.

Add to that figure Another $1Billion Tax Dollars Spent to Incarcerate for simple Cannabis Violations.

ENOUGH!
Cannabis Is Medicine, Always has been!

De-Schedule Cannabis! Stop Arresting the Sick!

Watch Tonight on CNBC
http://seekingalpha.com/article/115726-it-s-not-just-about-getting-high-seven-marijuana-stocks

http://www.cnbc.com/id/28284116

I work in a medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco. Over the last ten years I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they were once addicted to or were heavily dependent on Vicodin and other painkillers until they began using our pot brownies or marijuana tinctures. Cannabis is a medicine, as long as drug company lobbyists rule this wonderfully useful tool will only be available to a few lucky people. As far as worries about driving and the use of marijuana, the terminally ill probably won’t even be able to get out of bed, so what’s the harm in them smoking a joint so they can feel like eating?

Informal studies have proven that people who drive after consuming Cannabis are actually, by comparison to a Drunk Driver, far safer because they Know they are impaired and Slow Down, Allow for greater distances between vehicles, don’t use cell phones etc.

I Do Not support however, people driving or working impaired. I just recently read that Chemo causes “cognitive impairment” and that a person suffering from sleep deprivation functions at a level equal to a person testing .05 BAC.

I also know that the Effects from Cannabis wear off in 2-4 hours post titration in spite of the fact the Metabolites stay in your system for weeks/months following the last dose. Many rely on the results of a UA to determine impairment, but that belief is a False sense of Security!

Many things cause impairment beyond consumption of any substance.

As a user of cannabis for 35 years, (I am 60 now), I am astounded by the craven acceptance of the status quo by the so called “politicians” who are supposed to represent the public; but, I am also angry at the many cannabis users who are selfishly content with the present illegality of cannabis. They argue “I can get cannabis and the cops are’nt hasseling me, so why make it legal?” I don’t want anyone to have to pay exorbitant prices for good bud, deal with the blackmarket, and support criminal enterprises. My older brother died of lung cancer from his addiction to tobacco and had to go to the blackmarket to purchase a medicine that would help his nausea, because the “legal” cannabis–Marinol–stoned him into a nonfunctioning stupor. It is time for all cannabis users and their supporters to stand up and say it loud, say it proud, “I SUPPORT THE LEGALIZATION OF CANNABIS!”

If anything should be illegal it should be alcohol. More people die from asprin each year than marijuana (0 deaths have been linked to cannabis). The government has no right to come between the doctor and patient, telling them what course of treatment is right or wrong. Even when alcohol was illegal, you could still get it in a pharmacy. On Washington Island in Door County Wisconsin, a man was selling shots of bitters out of a “pharmacy” (bar) during prohibition and it was legal, because it had medicinal purposes.

I agree with cannabis being legalized fully, and giving the people the right to choose to smoke marijuana or not. It is much safer than alcohol and could greatly help out a troubled healthcare system, economy, and start turning the national debt clock backwards.

The monies being made off of cannabis on the black market are enormous.
What it actually cost to produce that same bag that cost $400 is ridiculous. But, people will pay it, some prescriptions are much more costly than an ounce of marijuana. The government could produce many jobs by legalizing cannabis (and allowing the production of hemp in the united states) by growing and distributing it to retailers. Being that there is no risk factor, the cost is much lower (much, much lower), and retailers purchase it at that extremely low cost and then put the federal tax on it to give to our govenment. Retailers buy it in packs for $10 and sell it for $300 (because of that federal tax). The federal government would make alot of money that first day of sales.

I am in favor of the medical marijuana bill and expressed this on the phone with Gov. Pawlenty’s office. The official I spoke to simply said she would pass on the message.
I have no idea whether she passed on the message, but tend to doubt it found its way to the governor.
This is upsetting. The issue of medical marijuana affects me personally. My fiancé has been in excruciating pain for the last eight months due to a severe back injury and has been prescribed pain killers, muscle relaxers, and nerve deadeners. He’s had surgery on his spine and was put on a morphine drip. All of these drugs are legal.
And of all of these legal drugs, none relieved his pain as effectively as marijuana – which is not. This makes no sense.
I began to do some research on the subject. Given the toxic and potentially deadly substances routinely doled out, the most striking thing to me is that no one has ever died from a documented marijuana overdose in all of recorded medical history. Yet those opposed to this compassionate bill would have me believe it’s preferable for my loved ones to take morphine.
My fiancé was not willing to continue his use of the strong prescription drugs that made him feel “out of it”, nauseous and sick. He, instead, chose to use marijuana for pain relief. Marijuana did not cause dizziness, nausea, or an “out of it” feeling. It had no instant addiction effect on him like the morphine and codeine and all of the other drugs that had been suggested to him.
The police came into our house, found the marijuana in our house and charged him with a felony possession of marijuana. He was convicted of this and is now dealing with many legal repercussions! Had he taken the MUCH more harmful drugs, no one would have ever questioned anything. Our home would not have been raided by the police. WHY? These drugs cause teen death and are bought and sold on the black market by many CRIMINALS.
This was the SECOND time that he was charged and convicted of a felony due to the use of marijuana as a medication. The first time it was being used as a depression medication during the loss of his father. And again, he was arrested and had to spend two years of his life in PRISON! In prison with REAL criminals! Murderers! Rapists! Robbers! Violent people, scam artists, gang members! WHY? How does any of this make sense. How is it logical to allow doctors to prescribe DRUGS but not a natural plant that needs no chemical alteration to accomplish the job BETTER than these drugs.
I’m not asking to make marijuana legal to the majority of the public. I am asking for an exception to be carved out in the law for ill people. And those suffering from debilitating pain and depression. I am asking that people in pain be allowed a solution that does not have horrible side effects! One that does not make them incoherent. One that can not cause an OVERDOSE. I am asking to stop putting those people into the category of CRIMINAL. If a doctor recommends its use for an individual patient, I can’t understand why politicians and law enforcement would want to overrule that medical decision, or think they’re qualified to do so. And why do these politicians believe that marijuana is worse than ACTUAL drugs?!

The thing I can’t understand about republicans is the disparity between what they pretend to stand for and what they actually do. Tim Pawlenty, it seems to me, would be upset if someone were to accuse him of wanting to create a nanny state. I mean, conservatives are supposed to favor expanded personal freedom, right? So what’s with the drug war? “Freedom” does not mean that you are free to think and act the way some old white idiots tell you to. I want to believe that America is waking up to the stupidity of ruining the lives of people who smoke a harmless herb. Marijuana prohibition is a crime, and John Walters is a paid liar.

We had a chance to vote in someone (Ron Paul) who would seriously work to end this nonsensical, insane “war on(some)drugs” but the morons in this country chose to vote for more of the same.

Check out: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/

they need to quite spending all this money on the war on drugs and start creating jobs the only reason the cops are aginst this it would take work and money out of their pockets.

go after the meth and all the heavy drugs.

going after small time dealers and simple users is taking about 5-10
million dollars out minnesota econmy u are not helping most people selling weed

are using it to pay insurance,house payments,car payments,medical bills we need this money to keep flowing they are desent people 92 persent of they are hard working tax paying minnesotans they are the working poor 1 pay check away from being homeless SO GET REAL THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA NEED THIS MONEY.

[...] to individuals that aren’t qualified by state registration,” says Andy Birkey in the Minnesota Independent. Additionally, a similar bill will be introduced in the House later this [...]

Over the past 2 years I have gone threw 2 knee sugeries and am waiting for the third. After the first surgery I was put on lortabs then perciset and they made it almost impossible to work or function in sociaty. One day they would knock me on my ass and the next they wouldn’t even take the edge of the pain. The doctors only option for me was OTC drugs that with cronic use can damage your liver. So my choice was aleve or heavy duty narcotics. I looked into other options. I found and old friend from college did the trick wonderfully. I was able to regulate exectly how much was needed to take the edge off the pain. For the last six months I have been self medicating and have been able to get back into a few of the things that I loved but was in to much pain to do like walking my dogs and hunting. Last week I was subjected to a UA and quess what, I failed. Now I have to go threw a dependance class and lose up to 2 months of wages. I never used at or befor work because it was to dangerous in the line of work I did. I would rather deal with the pain. On my personal time I needed to take the pain away so I could do my everyday tasks that most people take advantage of. With one test that only shows if I have smoked in the past month not if I am impaired now I was marked as a “stoner.” My emplyeer tried to fire me and lost but did suspend me without pay until I completed a very expensive rehab at my own cost. I went from a model employee and citizen as a Volunteer Firefighter and EMT to a criminal in one pee. Even though I still have my job for now I will now lose everything without pay. This system needs to be fixed. Please write to your reps and urge them to support compation.

It appears S.F. 97 and companion bill H.F 292 will receive majority support once again this legislative session. It appears that Tim Pawlenty will hold the “veto card.” Why is Governor Pawlenty’s approach so out of line with the will of the people of Minnesota? Furthering his own political career instead of doing the right thing? Perhaps. Please write Governor Pawlenty and urge him to support patients who already have a hard time of life and who courageously fight on. This is a bill of compassion and protecting patients. Please save the drug war rants for other bills at another time. This is about not subjecting patients to street level gangs and law enforcement. Don’t add to patient suffering. Please do the right thing and urge Governor Pawlenty to do the same!

yes bush made a blunder with the tarp bill and started us on the path to socialism. But bail outs are a liberal idea, and your beloved obama is running with the idea. Your freinds in washington with their fair housing act (barney frank and chris dodd, franklin raines, and madam pelosi) are the ones ultimately responsible for this economic mess. Only true conservative leadership will downsize the govnm’t, tell lazy deadbeats NO, and tell fanny and freddie and citigroup to go fuck themselves and declare bankruptcy instead of we the tax payer paying for thier irresponsbility. screw obama, hes a freshman senator who is going to fail miserably. Im am a weed smoking conservative. we conservatives are the civil libertarians who are most outspoken about legalizing weed. we want government out of our lives, and YES that means nanny state liberals. to obama and the rest of the dems in washington: you dont know what is best for us, we are not stupid little children, we are capable of making our own descisions and dont want you to bail us out when we fail, how else are we going to learn?

For the first time….do we have a shot???? Legalize all the way! The one main fact about marijuana, is that there is NO toxic level. You CANNOT OD on pot. Everything else that is legal(or not)can KILL YOU. I’m a performing musician and I see so many people wasted on alcohol every weekend making complete fools of themselves, not to mention possibly driving. Alcohol is a HUGE problem gone ignored. The sad difference is social acceptance…oh yeah, and a b.s. law. We can join the too short list of states with a clue. Have these other states plunged into the depths of the “devils smoke”, is there chaos, are “addicts” robbing dying people for their MEDICINE. The law enforcement excuse Pawlenty is using is a pathetic cop-out. Maybe he needs to witness a family member waste away because they were left too weak to eat from radiation treatments. I would like to see if Tim Pawlenty has the guts to put this choice in the hands of the people he has the honor of SERVING. Polling places anyone??

Quit wastn money on this stuipd comericles on a harmless plant.The plant is a threat to socety?. Which there are more postives than negtgives. And it can help make more things.Soap, rope, gas, ect. so much we do with this. Everyone stay together it will happen. I belive it will one day.

Liam, If you actually believe the republicans are not responible for the current economic crisis you are completely retarded. Ignorance must be bliss!!!

[...] Minnesota, New York and Rhode Island are just some of the states seriously attempting to follow [...]

Job Creation, Taxes, Oh Yeah, And just alittle bit of happieness to boot. Its a no brainer and way over time!