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Sunset date OK'd on marijuana bill

Published (3/27/2009)
By Mike Cook
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Behind a pile of processed marijuana, Bob Bushman, president of the Minnesota State Association of Narcotics Investigators, testifies before the House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee on March 24 in opposition to a bill that would provide medical marijuana use. The bags of marijuana were brought to the committee as a visual aid to show how much a person could grow if they had 12 plants. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)A bill to allow marijuana for medical purposes was approved by another House committee.

Amended and approved 9-6 by the House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee March 24, HF292, sponsored by Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia), next goes to the House Finance Committee.

The bill would regulate the use of medical marijuana by setting limits for allowable amounts, requiring patients and caregivers to possess registry identification cards, and specifying penalties for violations.

Proponents say medical marijuana would provide relief to people for whom other treatments do not work; opponents say it opens the door to increased drug abuse.

Rep. Karla Bigham (DFL-Cottage Grove) successfully amended the bill to reduce the number of marijuana plants a person could have from 12 to six.

An amendment successfully offered by Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Red Wing) would require the health commissioner to begin issuing registry identification cards and registered organization licenses by Oct. 1, 2009. It would also put an Oct. 1, 2011, sunset on the bill.

Kelly said that would allow the state “to put this kind of in a petri dish and have us come back to see if all of these issues, whether bad or good, came out. We would have the ability to address them then and have this discussion again and see if what we’re doing is the right thing to do.”

Rukavina said none of the 13 states that permit medical marijuana use has tried to repeal this.

A companion, SF97, sponsored by Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), awaits action by the Senate Finance Committee.

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