Marijuana Policy Project

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA—The Minnesota Senate Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee today approved Sen. Steve Kelley's (DFL-Hopkins) medical marijuana bill, S.F. 1973, by a vote of 5-4. The bill would eliminate criminal penalties for seriously ill individuals who use medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.

"Three years ago, I underwent chemotherapy, and it quickly became apparent that my body reacted badly to the prescription anti-nausea drugs. They either made my nausea worse or caused an allergic reaction," Minneapolis resident and breast cancer survivor Riki Anderson told the committee. "So I started to rely on marijuana to reduce the nausea and help me maintain my weight."

"But what we did was illegal," Anderson's husband added. "We could have been sent to jail for doing what it took to help my wife survive breast cancer."

Also testifying before the committee was Florida stockbroker Irvin Rosenfeld, one of seven patients still receiving medical marijuana from the U.S. government. "The federal government gives me 10 to 12 marijuana cigarettes per day, and I am not a criminal," said Rosenfeld, who has been using medical marijuana for more than 20 years to treat a rare and painful bone disease. "But under Minnesota law, patients using the same medicine that I obtain legally are criminals. Does that seem fair?"

A statewide poll conducted by Zogby International in February 2005 showed that Minnesotans support protection for medical marijuana patients by a 2-1 margin. The Minnesota Nurses Association, Minnesota Public Health Association, Minnesota AIDS Project, and Minnesota Senior Federation have all publicly expressed their support for the bill.

The bipartisan bill, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Yvonne Prettner Solon (DFL-Duluth), Bob Kierlin (R-Winona), and John Marty (DFL-Roseville), was originally introduced in 2005, and was passed by the Senate Health and Family Security Committee 5-2. The bill was then referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it was passed last week by a vote of 5-4.

"Patients battling cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS or other painful and deadly illnesses should not have to risk arrest and jail if their doctor believes marijuana may ease their suffering," Sen. Kelley told the Judiciary Committee. "This legislation protects the sick, while establishing sensible controls."

The bill is now headed to the Senate Finance Committee, which is the last committee it must pass through before it reaches the Senate floor. Earlier this year, Rhode Island was the 11th state to pass legislation that protects medical marijuana patients from arrest and incarceration. Medical marijuana legislation is currently pending in 11 states, including Minnesota. For more information, visit www.minnesotacares.org.