Gov. Tim Pawlenty told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that he will definitely veto a medical marijuana bill that passed the state Legislature on Monday. But, he added, “I have great empathy for the sick.”
For the first time in a decade of effort, medical marijuana bill is heading to the governor’s desk. Legislators added new restrictions to the final version of the bill in an attempt to assuage Gov. Palwenty’s concerns. But one legislator might have taken his opposition too far, as Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, offered a series of amendments many in the House found offensive.
The law enforcement lobby has been conducting a full-court press against a medical marijuana bill that’s making its way through the legislature. But the claims made by Minnesota law enforcement officials are at best half-truths and exaggerations, and in some cases directly contradict government data.
Minnesota’s medical marijuana bill cleared its last committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives, paving the way for a House vote. It passed the House Finance Committee by a bipartisan vote of 17–6 after no debate. Several major changes were…
A bill to legalize medical marijuana for seriously ill Minnesotans passed the State Senate on Wednesday. The bill prompted an hour of heated debate before passing the chamber by a vote of 36 to 28. The bill awaits a vote in the House before making its way to Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has indicated he will veto the bill.
In a tense exchange in the House Tuesday, Rep. Tom Rukavina, author of the medical marijuana bill, responded defiantly to testimony that law enforcement had met with him to voice concerns over the bill. “No member of your coalition has ever talked to me about this bill,” he said. “No one.”
A pair of bills advancing quickly through the Minnesota Legislature would allow seriously ill Minnesotans to use medical marijuana to alleviate pain. The Senate bill passed a key Senate committee on Tuesday afternoon, and on Wednesday morning the…
The Senate Health and Human Services Budget Division heard a controversial medical marijuana bill on Tuesday. The bill would allow for severely ill patients to procure marijuana either through a nonprofit registered through the state or to grow up to 12 plants themselves. The bill passed the committee by a voice vote, but not before a grilling from Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont.
Despite concerns by law enforcement, Minnesota’s medical marijuana bill passed in the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, boosting author Sen. Steve Murphy’s confidence that the bill will become law. “This is an issue where science, compassion and simple commonsense come together,” he said.
A bill to decriminalize marijuana for medical use by people suffering debilitating illnesses passed its first committee in the Minnesota House, the Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee, on Wednesday by a vote of 9 to 6. The testimony in support of and against the bill was largely identical from that of last week’s hearing in the Senate.
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