Minn. Medical Marijuana Debate Heats Up

DULUTH - Minnesota lawmakers are preparing for Tuesday's start of the 2014 legislative session. And one bipartisan bill that's already creating a lot of chatter is a proposal to allow medical marijuana throughout the state.
State Representative Carly Melin is the chief author of the bill who says she's fighting for Minnesota families with sick children, but also fighting pushback from law enforcement, as FOX 21's Dan Hanger reports.

Public opinion on the use of medical marijuana is changing in Minnesota.

"Talking to families across the state has really opened my eyes that marijuana can be used for medical purposes," Melin said.

In a recent Star Tribune poll, 51 percent of Minnesota residents surveyed support using marijuana for medical reasons. 41 percent oppose such a move.

"We are pushing forward with this bill in hopes we can give relief to people around the state," Melin said.

Melin, of Hibbing, is the chief author of a new bill to legalize medical marijuana across the state once and for all.

"It's not what you'd traditionally think of as marijuana. It's actually an oil that they extract from the plant," Melin said.

State lawmakers passed a similar bill in 2009, but that was vetoed down by then-Governor Tim Pawlenty.

"Not only has it stopped seizures in these kids, it's actually repaired some of the damage done to their brain as a result of the seizures," Melins said.

While Melin is passionate about medical marijuana and its potential benefits for helping kids suffering from illnesses, law enforcement agencies are worried if marijuana use will eventually become legal, like the state of Colorado.

"They're already seeing a dramatic increase of use in juvenile marijuana," said Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay, referring to Colorado's legalization of marijuana.

"It slows people down, makes them unmotivated. You know, as a father with young kids, that scares me. I don't want my kids exposed to that stuff," Ramsay went on to say.

Ramsay worries medical marijuana could very well end up being abused by addicts, just like the abuse of prescription pain killers.

"Since 1993, the amount of prescription opient-based prescriptions has increased 300 percent. And the issues we face on the street now are often directly tied to that," Ramsay explained.

But with all that said, Chief Ramsay does believe there's a tightly-controlled compromise that could help both law enforcement and ailing families.

"I really think there could be success with the pill form or a liquid form that's highly regulated, prescribed by a doctor, got through a pharmacy like other prescription drugs -- not growing your own," Ramsay said.

"I will continue to work with them to try to come up with a reasonable solution here that we can make work," Melin said.

"I think the public wants everybody to figure it out and if this can improve the quality of life of a kid or someone in hospice - or their last remaining days - figure it out," Ramsay said.