As a retired police officer with 18 years of experience, I can assure you that my profession will have no problem enforcing a medical marijuana law in Minnesota. When the patient has a state-issued card, certifying that person as a medical marijuana patient, the officer who comes in contact with that patient and marijuana will simply not arrest, nor seize the marijuana. This is the same concept that many states with concealed weapon permit use; for example, if the possessor of the pistol has a permit, we let them go. The possessor does not have a permit, we arrest them and seize the weapon. This is not rocket science. The majority of officers do not want to chase sick people. Howard J. Wooldridge, Frederick, Md. Wooldridge is a retired officer and the education specialist for LEAP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. [end]
I'm writing about the not-so-thoughtful letter from State Sen. Julie Ortman in the May 3 edition of the Winona Daily News. The Federal Drug Administration has not approved the spice and natural herb turmeric. However, my personal physician has recommended that I use it to reduce inflammation caused by my arthritis. Like turmeric, marijuana is a natural herb. The FDA does not approve natural herbs. Natural herbs cannot be patented. The pharmaceutical industry doesn't want us to use natural herbs that cannot be patented. They prefer that we only use their very expensive patented products. The pharmaceutical industry has a lot of power and influence. They make very generous donations to selected politicians. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
To hear some Republican legislators talk, Minnesota might as well start putting heroin in milk and open a methadone clinic on every street corner. A new law in the Legislature has created quite a little rhetoric by some politicians who worry that legalizing marijuana for medical use would throw open the door to drugs. Really, Minnesota would join 12 other states in making medical marijuana legal. What that means is that those with a marijuana card would be held immune from state prosecution for possession or use of the drug, while the federal authorities could, if they chose, still prosecute those who possess marijuana, a violation of federal drug law. [continues 476 words]
Is Minnesota state Sen. Julianne Ortman a doctor? What makes her think that politicians and police are qualified to make personal health care decisions? While there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and it helps the patient feel better, then it's working. In the end, medical marijuana is a quality of life issue best left to patients and their doctors. Federal bureaucrats waging war on non-corporate drugs contend that organic marijuana is not an effective health intervention. The federal government's prescribed intervention for medical marijuana patients is handcuffs, jail cells and criminal records. This heavy-handed approach suggests that drug warriors are not well-suited to dictate health care decisions. [continues 94 words]
I have voted "no" five times on the "medical marijuana" bill in Senate Committees and now on the Senate floor. I feel great compassion and concern for the Minnesota residents who believe that marijuana might help them to relieve their pain at the end of their life. Nonetheless, I cannot help them. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has never approved marijuana for medicinal use; accordingly, doctors are prohibited from prescribing it, and pharmacists may not dispense it. There is no way for the terminally ill to obtain marijuana except from an illegal source. [continues 751 words]
ST. PAUL -- Minnesota senators narrowly voted Tuesday to allow some patients in extreme pain to smoke marijuana, and the House author of the measure predicted a narrow victory, but Gov. Tim Pawlenty promises to veto any such bill. The 33-31 Senate vote followed a debate that featured supporters who said they want to ease people's pain fighting those who worried that allowing medical marijuana would lead to more widespread use of it. "There is not a person on the Senate floor or a person in the state of Minnesota who hasn't witnessed ... somebody in their world affected by a debilitating disease that medicinal marijuana could possibly help," Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, said. [continues 388 words]
The Minnesota Senate today is set to approve the use of marijuana for people who are critically ill or in excruciating pain. The House may soon follow - the measure survived its fifth committee hearing today on a 20-14 vote and will soon be on its way to a floor vote. Although there are differences between the House and Senate measures, both essentially would set up a state system allowing qualified patients to receive marijuana from special nonprofit organizations to ease their pain and symptoms. Backers believe that marijuana can help those patients in ways traditional drugs cannot. [continues 77 words]
The news hits you like a freight train as the doctor tells you that you have been diagnosed with leukemia. He informs you the most effective treatment is to start chemotherapy treatments immediately to try and combat the invading death that is upon you. With the treatment will be terrible side effects, including extreme nausea and crippling pain. He informs you that he can treat you with a synthetic drug that contains THC, the active chemical in marijuana, but it only has about a quarter of the effectiveness of natural marijuana. [continues 193 words]
Medical marijuana bills are curling through the Legislature, a Senate bill last week clearing yet another committee. But state law enforcement opposes the legislation. And their support is critical. Medical marijuana initiative has advanced previous sessions but never so far. Supporters depict the illegal drug as offering pain relief to the terminally ill and those afflicted with chronic pain. A number of state health care organizations, including the Minnesota Nurses Association and Minnesota AIDS Project, support access to medical marijuana. The legislation boasts bipartisan support -- representatives Chris DeLaForest, R-Andover, Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, and Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, back the House bill. [continues 676 words]
Medical marijuana bills are curling through the Legislature, a Senate bill last week clearing yet another committee. But state law enforcement opposes the legislation. And their support is critical. Medical marijuana initiative has advanced previous sessions but never so far. Supporters depict the illegal drug as offering pain relief to the terminally ill and those afflicted with chronic pain. A number of state health care organizations, including the Minnesota Nurses Association and Minnesota AIDS Project, support access to medical marijuana. The legislation boasts bipartisan support -- representatives Chris DeLaForest, R-Andover, Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, and Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, back the House bill. [continues 671 words]
You probably know me as a talk-show host, and perhaps as someone who for several years has spoken out about my use of medical marijuana for the pain caused by multiple sclerosis. That surprised a few people, but recent research has proven that I was right -- right about marijuana's medical benefits and right about how urgent it is for states such as Minnesota to change their laws so that sick people aren't treated as criminals. If you see me on television, I look healthy. What you don't see is the mind-numbing pain searing through my legs like hot pokers. [continues 628 words]
Medical marijuana is a popular issue. A November 2005 nationwide Gallup Poll showed 78 percent of Americans "support making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering," and state medical marijuana initiatives have been repeatedly endorsed by voters. According to the Marijuana Policy Project, only four state legislatures -- Hawaii, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont -- have had the courage to stop arresting patients without a drive from the voters. The project also states that many of the legal alternatives proposed by opponents of medical marijuana are too expensive, too addictive and have too many side effects to be good medicine for all patients. [continues 132 words]
Momentum Gathers For Review Of Sentencing Rules Minnesota's drug laws might be too harsh and the state should consider reducing prison terms for users and small-time dealers, a powerful sentencing commission contends. The provocative stance from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission would have been improbable a decade ago, when politicians and prosecutors often spoke about zero tolerance and a "war on drugs." But the idea of reforming drug laws, including the possibility of reducing recommended sentences for certain offenses, has been gaining traction among lawmakers, judges and prosecutors. [continues 920 words]
No Mower Countian should for a moment think the county is alone in its jail-justice center saga. In fact, there are 42 Minnesota counties presently studying expanding or building new jail and justice center facilities. That's what the Mower County Board of Commissioners and selected staffers learned at the recent Association of Minnesota Counties' legislative conference. David Hillier, 3rd District county commissioner, said Tuesday the 42 jail and justice center issues did not include counties who have attempted to solve issues of their own by building new facilities, such as the recently opened Steele (3 years ago) and Freeborn County (last year) jail and justice centers. [continues 598 words]
The Supreme Court's decision could have far-reaching effects on student speech. As the Olympic Torch was being paraded through his town in 2002, Joseph Frederick, a high school student in Juneau, Alaska, unfurled a 14-foot long banner that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" in front of television crews filming the event. But instead of just getting his 15 minutes of fame, Frederick was suspended by the school principal for 10 days for refusing to take the banner down. According to the school, Frederick's sign promoted drug use, something contrary to the school's mission and thus, something they could punish with a suspension. [continues 269 words]
It seemed like a good idea at the time, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which allowed Californians to use marijuana with a doctor's permission to alleviate pain. The act was put on the ballot, and California voters passed it 56 to 44 percent. The biggest bankroller of the referendum was George Soros, the secular-progressive billionaire who champions drug legalization. He pumped about $350,000 into pro-medpot ads, according to published reports. Since the act was passed into law, thousands of pot "clinics" have opened across the Golden State. In San Francisco, things got so out of control that Mayor Gavin Newsom, a very liberal guy, had to close many of the "clinics" because drug addicts were clustering around them, causing fear among city residents. [continues 335 words]
Inside Minnesota
