Legislators ignore medical marijuana bill

Published: May 22, 2003

Minnesota's medical marijuana bill, the Compassionate Use Act (H.F. 1440), provided a brief glimmer of hope to the state's medical marijuana patients. But the bill was tabled in the legislature, further delaying protection for the seriously ill individuals who depend on marijuana's medical value.

It is time to change the way that some of the most vulnerable members of our society are treated. Please contact your legislators and urge them to support medical marijuana legislation next session: Only you can convince them that this issue is vital to Minnesotans.

Please visit Take Action. After you choose your favorite pre-written letter and type in your address, our site will automatically e-mail your letter to your legislators … all with the click of a few buttons. The whole process takes less than two minutes, but it makes a world of difference. Also, you can print the letters and send them to your legislators through regular mail.

Representatives Sheldon Johnson (DFL-St. Paul) and Alice Hausman (DFL-St. Paul) had the courage to introduce H.F. 1440. Sen. John Marty (DFL-St. Paul) introduced S.F. 1328, the Senate version of the Compassionate Use Act. For the full text of the House bill, which shares the same language as the Senate version, see H.F. 1440.

Does your legislator have the same vision and compassion as these legislators? Does your legislator agree that it's time to stop incarcerating sick people for the "crime" of taking their medicine? With vast public support for medical marijuana—80 percent according to the latest Time/CNN poll—this issue is not going away.

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