Pubdate: Sat, 15 Mar 2014
Source: Free Press, The (MN)
Copyright: 2014 The Free Press
Contact:  http://www.mankatofreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2566
Author: Dan Linehan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

LAWMAKERS' OPINIONS VARY ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Area legislators haven't made medical marijuana a key issue, and 
their responses generally fall along party lines.

Sen. Kathy Sheran, D-Mankato: She voted for medical marijuana in 2009 
and predicted before the session that the state Senate would support 
"some prescription option to give relief to people."

"I am cautious about it," she said, saying she wants a bill tailored 
to medical use with controls about the safety of the drug.

Rep. Clark Johnson, D-North Mankato: He said he's open-minded about 
the topic and wants to learn more about it. He hopes law-enforcement 
officers can understand the drug has medical value.

"It can be done well," he said of a medical marijuana system.

Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Vernon Center: He said his brother in California 
has told him about crime around legal growers.

"My personal thought is the good it's purported to do is outweighed 
by the bad," he said. "The worst reason in the world is that it's not 
worse than alcohol. ... You're just adding another drug to the mix."

Rep. Kathy Brynaert, D-Mankato: She has been looking for medical 
opinions but hasn't heard much from area doctors.

"Is it medically necessary?"

Rep. John Petersburg, R-Waseca: He's opposed to medicinal marijuana 
because of the risk of the drug being abused recreationally.

"I think it makes it too easily available for other people and too 
easy for prescriptions to be done, and we don't have control of the 
quality, as well."

Rep. Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska: He could only support a medicinal 
marijuana system that "would have to be treated strictly as a drug 
and very tightly controlled."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom