cannabisnews.com: Legal MMJ in Minnesota Closer To Becoming Reality

cannabisnews.com: Legal MMJ in Minnesota Closer To Becoming Reality
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Legal MMJ in Minnesota Closer To Becoming Reality
Posted by CN Staff on March 31, 2009 at 15:56:40 PT
By David Hansen
Source: City Pages
Minnesota -- The basement corridor is crowded with a noisy throng of sheriffs and lobbyists, but Joanie Whiting manages to slip away to a quiet spot a few paces away.There, she opens a thin manila envelope, removes a stack of glossy photographs, and begins flipping through them. They are of her daughter, Stephanie. In the first picture, Stephanie is a striking high school senior, her hair wavy and brown and spiked with yellow highlights.
But in the next, Stephanie's skin is pallid. From her left cheek, a gob of flesh is missing. A fine incision winds along her carotid artery and disappears into the neck of her shirt. Sutures clench the surgical wound like spider's teeth.In the last photo, her hair is chopped to a fine buzz. She wears a stiff white gown, opened to the throat. Deep into a wasting sickness, she is scarcely recognizable as the handsome young woman from the first picture. In this final photograph, she is 26 years old, and days from death.It was in these final weeks that Stephanie, who died of melanoma in 2003, became a criminal in the eyes of the law. Her morphine drip, pushed to the maximum allowable dosage, induced nausea. Stephanie was shedding precious pounds by the week and, worse, her pain was intractable. As her condition reached a state of terminal pain, the prospect of treating her with marijuana arose.It was a measure that Joanie resisted. The mother of seven is a disabled Vietnam vet and an outspoken critic of illicit drug use. "Like everybody else, I thought if you used marijuana, you sat on the couch with the clicker," she recalls, "and when you turn 30 you get up and go, 'What happened to my life?'"But Stephanie's siblings insisted, going so far as to take her out of Joanie's care and supply her with marijuana themselves. The effect was instant. Stephanie began to eat again. The marijuana increased the effectiveness of her other painkillers, and a spark returned to her eyes. When Joanie saw her daughter again, she was stunned."It's hard to see the light go out of your child's eyes," she says. "I saw that light again. What I saw with my own eyes changed my mind about what I had believed."That's what brought her to the State Office Building last week, and what put her before the House Public Safety and Oversight committee to advocate for a new medical marijuana law. After a single hour of testimonials and demonstrations, the bill passed by a vote of 9-6, putting Minnesota one step closer to joining a growing national trend. From Washington to New Hampshire, blue states are going green and decriminalizing weed.Through the 19th century, in the U.S. the crop was freely grown and sold for its textile properties. Even after 1910's Mexican Revolution brought crowds of immigrants—and awareness of marijuana's recreational uses—into the nation's consciousness, marijuana escaped serious scrutiny by hiding in the protective shadows of greater social diseases such as alcohol and cocaine.It took prohibition to bring national crackdowns on marijuana, and in that age of teetotaling paranoia, volleys of sweeping regulations were imposed. By the time Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Marihuana Tax Act in 1937, marijuana had become the criminal scourge it would remain for over four decades. By the 1950s, possession with intent to sell could carry a life sentence in some states.The '60s brought widespread marijuana use and the revelation that the drug wasn't nearly as dangerous as billed. After the summer of love, states began to reconsider their harsh stance. Oregon was the first to decriminalize marijuana in 1973, and it's since been joined by Alaska, California, Colorado, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Maine, Ohio, and Minnesota, which treats possession of small amounts as a misdemeanor equivalent to a traffic ticket.Yet marijuana remained illegal at the federal level. Although California law allowed for citizens to open up dispensaries to provide medical marijuana to patients, the DEA would routinely swoop in to confiscate the money and drugs.Barack Obama vowed to change this during his campaign for president, saying that enforcing federal marijuana law would not be a priority of his administration. It's a huge momentum swing from prior years, and Minnesota's medical marijuana bill rides that tide. But the road to a House vote is still full of obstacles.The face of the anti-marijuana lobby is Bob Bushman. He's a coordinator for the Statewide Gang and Drug Task Force, and argues that the proposed Minnesota law would not just help cancer patients, but also dealers. To demonstrate, he stacked up bricks of weed to form a mountain. "This is six and a half pounds of marijuana," he said, referring to the amount that the law would allow patients to grow. "Enough for over 5,000 joints. Why someone would need access to this amount of any medication is beyond me."Still, the medical marijuana law is attracting support from some surprising quarters. Christ DeLaForest is a former Republican representative from Andover who now lobbies on behalf of Minnesotans for Compassionate Care. He sees not only merit in the bill, but a Republican duty to protect a patient's right to proper care."Doctors and patients simply make better healthcare decisions than the bureaucracy," he says. "Who in the heck are politicians to get in the way? Attitudes are changing. People have seen that this isn't the harbinger of the apocalypse they thought it might be. You can have medical marijuana and it works out fine." Even if the bill passes, however, it faces Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto pen. He has stated numerous times and in few uncertain terms that he has no plans to sign medical marijuana into law."It's become popular sport to speculate what the governor might do," DeLaForest says. "But it isn't fully on his radar screen. A historic budget deficit is dominating the debate. I trust the governor will give us thoughtful and fair consideration once the bill reaches his desk."Years after her daughter's death, Joanie Whiting expresses discomfort about a time when she was forced to break the law to care for her daughter. "I don't know if I became a criminal by letting my daughter use marijuana at the end of her life," she says, "but I truly believe that the law is unjust. There are more people like me hiding in their houses and afraid to say what they did for fear of reprisal."For her, the guiding principle is simple and easily distilled. "What a wonderful plant," she says. "It's a miracle. And people like me aren't going to turn into drug dealers." Note: Sick patients' loved ones hopeful for additional relaxation of the law.Source: City Pages (MN)Author: David HansenPublished: March 30, 2009Copyright: 2009, City Pages Media, Inc.Contact: letters citypages.comWebsite: http://www.citypages.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/XlQbX21WRelated Articles: Medical Marijuana Bill Gathers Steam At Capitolhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24650.shtmlMed Marijuana: Law Enforcement Caught in Liehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24621.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help

Comment #23 posted by FoM on April 01, 2009 at 06:18:26 PT
fight_4_freedom
I don't have control of adding features but Matt Elrod does. Maybe asking him might help if it is important to you.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #22 posted by FoM on April 01, 2009 at 06:16:42 PT
greenmed
I agree with you.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #21 posted by AZMMPP2010 on April 01, 2009 at 02:32:19 PT:
Good luck Alabama!
Send em up for Alabama's hearing on medical cannabis today!Let's hope it does not turn out to be a cruel April Fool's joke!
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #20 posted by AZMMPP2010 on April 01, 2009 at 02:22:20 PT:
A Foregone Conclusion
Medical cannabis would be law in Minnesota if Jesse "The Mind" Ventura were still running that state.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #19 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 31, 2009 at 20:49:31 PT
FoM
Love the new addition to the site. Is there any way you can get a myspace link on there as well?
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #18 posted by greenmed on March 31, 2009 at 20:49:13 PT
FoM
Allow me this correction:"In these times, non-violent people should not be incarcerated (at a cost of $45K/year, I read) when they do not endanger society."to:"Non-violent people should not be incarcerated when they do not endanger society."The demise of the Rockefeller laws is wonderful news.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #17 posted by greenmed on March 31, 2009 at 20:42:44 PT
FoM
Prohibition of any substance is bound to fail. It is the nature of supply and demand.My feeling toward hard drugs such as cocaine and opioids (natural and pharmaceutical), for instance, where there is true addictive potential is to treat any such problems as health issues. Senator Webb's proposed study will bring many issues to light; I hope harm reduction will be a major focus of that discussion. In these times, non-violent people should not be incarcerated (at a cost of $45K/year, I read) when they do not endanger society.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #16 posted by FoM on March 31, 2009 at 20:14:19 PT
greenmed
I started doing CNews with only medical marijuana in mind. It still is my main priority but I do care about other aspect of the war on drugs in general. I see change in drug policy reform coming about like in New York and with Senator Webb. I call it sanity.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #15 posted by greenmed on March 31, 2009 at 19:58:29 PT
FoM
I agree with what you say. It is an exciting time in cannabis reform. I've had my eyes opened so often in this forum, and although my primary interest is getting medicine to those who need it most, I cannot ignore the unfairness of the laws against cannabis and how much unneeded suffering they cause.Re-legalizing and regulation of cannabis is the solution to the problems wrought by prohibition. Medical users would then have no trouble in acquiring their medicine. Nobody said the road would be smooth and easy, but what worthwhile in life is.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #14 posted by FoM on March 31, 2009 at 19:41:29 PT
greenmed
It is interesting. We all look at marijuana and reform from our own perspective. It really is a learning experience. I know that because of Obama I am fired up and ready to go. It will be a journey I am looking forward to seeing happen. It won't be smooth but when has anything important been smooth? I haven't found anything important to be that way in my life.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #13 posted by greenmed on March 31, 2009 at 19:25:46 PT
FoM
It's interesting to see different ideas arise and how they fare.Medical Marijuana Inc. on the stock exchange... who'd have even imagined it even just a couple of years ago!
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #12 posted by FoM on March 31, 2009 at 19:13:10 PT
greenmed
I have been doing CNews for such a long time that I wonder many things myself! LOL!
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #11 posted by greenmed on March 31, 2009 at 19:08:54 PT
Medical Marijuana Inc.
The one thing that concerns me is that the stock market is for making/losing money. I don't see how the company could make much profit from medical users, or even if it's right to do so.Perhaps when cannabis is accepted (rescheduled), the insurance companies might pay for it.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #10 posted by MikeC on March 31, 2009 at 19:08:52 PT
mydnytmover...
I am surprised that it hasn't already been passed here in Wisconsin. This state is ripe for it as over 80% of Wisconsin residents support medical marijuana. With great people like Gary Storck and Angel Raich fighting the good fight it's just a matter of time. Governor Doyle I understand is medical marijuana friendly.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #9 posted by FoM on March 31, 2009 at 19:05:57 PT
greenmed
Thank you. He posted here before the documentary.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #8 posted by greenmed on March 31, 2009 at 19:04:55 PT
Medical Marijuana Inc.
I believe it's the same fellow, putting his well-honed organizational skills to work.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #7 posted by MikeC on March 31, 2009 at 19:04:36 PT
Pawlenty...
FoM...for some odd reason the blue state of Minnesota loves that guy. He is often mentioned as a possible republican candidate for the presidency. Maybe he will abandon his post and run only to lose to Obama in 2012 leaving Minnesota to vote in a marijuana friendly governor! I can dream can't I? LOL!
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #6 posted by mydnytmover on March 31, 2009 at 19:01:26 PT
MikeC
I am a cheesehead also, I hope if it does pass in Mn. Wisconsin will soon follow.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #5 posted by FoM on March 31, 2009 at 18:54:32 PT
MikeC
Maybe it's time to vote him out. He needs to open his eyes.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #4 posted by MikeC on March 31, 2009 at 18:50:28 PT
Minnesota...
I live in Wisconsin on the Mississippi River. I am literally a 45 second drive across the bridge into Minnesota from my driveway. I'll be moving just a wee bit west if this passes!!!I doubt it will pass though as Gov. Pawlenty has his nose up the ass of the republican party and has vowed to veto this bill.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #3 posted by FoM on March 31, 2009 at 18:44:16 PT
Medical Marijuana Inc.
I don't understand the stock market but I did a search and found the web site and more information. I'm curious about if this is the same man that was on one of the marijuana documentaries recently that is in charge of the company.http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com/http://www.cooleremail.net/users/conelda/WomensMillionaireNetwork_BruceBio.html
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 31, 2009 at 18:08:12 PT
Medical Marijuana, Inc.
SOURCE: Medical Marijuana, Inc.Mar 31, 2009 15:59 ETMedical Marijuana, Inc., Formerly Club Vivanet (PINKSHEETS: CVIV), Today Announced That It Is the First Public Company to Enter the Legalized, Medical Marijuana Business and Has Changed Its Name to Medical Marijuana, Inc.MARINA DEL REY, CA--(Marketwire - March 31, 2009) - Medical Marijuana, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: CVIV)Name Change and Pending Forward SplitClub Vivanet, Inc. changed its name to Medical Marijuana, Inc. with the State of Oregon on March 24, 2009, and has resolved to forward split its shares 10 for 1 effective upon NASDAQ changing the company's symbol from CVIV to reflect the name change and forward split. CUSIP has already changed the CUSIP number to 38463A105 to reflect the name change and forward split and the company is anticipating receiving the new symbol effecting the name change and forward split within the month of April.URL: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Medical-Marijuana-Inc-968687.html
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #1 posted by mydnytmover on March 31, 2009 at 17:56:02 PT
CNN
Should drugs be legalized so they can be taxed?
Yes 60% 124024
No 40% 83570
Total Votes: 207594
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