(USA) Minnesota Legislature approves medical use of marijuana

on 19 May 2009. Posted in Medicinal Cannabis News & Information

After a decade of debate, the Minnesota House and Senate have passed versions of a bill that would sanction medical marijuana use in the state.

minnesota marijuana bill The House — taking up the issue for the first time — narrowly approved a version this evening, 70-64. The Senate, which had approved a version last month, then approved the House's version 38-28.

The bill now heads to Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

The House version was narrowed considerably from the Senate bill. A provision allowing patients to grow their own marijuana plants was removed, and a controversial amendment restricted the use of marijuana to terminally ill patients suffering a debilitating illness.

The latter amendment removes medical marijuana eligibility for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy who need the drug to combat nausea.

The bill would establish a licensing system for patients who have a doctor's recommendation for marijuana. They would then be issued a photo identification, allowing them to purchase marijuana at state-licensed marijuana dispensaries.

Pawlenty has said he opposes the bill.

Should the proposal continue to stall at the Capitol, medical marijuana backers have said they would consider a constitutional amendment, taking the issue straight to voters.

Of the 13 states with medical marijuana laws, nine have passed through popular vote.

ROLL CALL VOTE — HOUSE

Roll call votes Monday as the House, on a 70-64 vote, approved a measure to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana. Voting yes were 63 Democrats and 7 Republicans. Voting no were 24 Democrats and 40 Republicans.

DEMOCRATS VOTING YES

Atkins (Inver Grove Heights); Benson (Minnetonka); Bigham (Cottage Grove); Bly (Northfield); Carlson (Crystal); Champion (Minneapolis); Clark (Minneapolis); Davnie (Minneapolis); Dittrich (Champlin); Eken (Twin Valley); Falk (Murdock); Faust (Hinckley); Gardner (Shoreview); Hansen (South St. Paul); Hausman (St. Paul); Haws (St. Cloud); Hayden (Minneapolis); Hilstrom (Brooklyn Center); Hilty (Finlayson); Hornstein (Minneapolis); Hortman (Brooklyn Park); Huntley (Duluth); Jackson (Milaca); Johnson (St. Paul); Juhnke (Willmar); Kahn (Minneapolis); Kalin (North Branch); Kelliher (Minneapolis); Knuth (New Brighton); Koenen (Clara City); Laine (Columbia Heights); Liebling (Rochester); Lillie (North St. Paul); Loeffler (Minneapolis); Mahoney (St. Paul); Mariani (St. Paul); Masin (Eagan); Morgan (Burnsville); Morrow (St. Peter); Mullery (Minneapolis); Murphy, E. (St. Paul); Nelson (Brooklyn Park); Newton (Coon Rapids); Obermueller (Eagan); Paymar (St. Paul); Persell (Bemidji); Peterson (New Hope); Poppe (Austin); Reinert (Duluth); Rosenthal (Edina); Rukavina (Virginia); Sailer (Park Rapids); Scalze (Little Canada); Sertich (Chisholm); Simon (St. Louis Park); Slocum (Richfield); Solberg (Grand Rapids); Swails (Woodbury); Thao (St. Paul); Thissen (Minneapolis); Tillberry (Fridley); Wagenius (Minneapolis); Winkler (Golden Valley)

DEMOCRATS VOTING NO

Anzelc (Balsam Twp); Brown (Moscow Twp); Brynaert (Mankato); Bunn (Lake Elmo); Dill (Crane Lake); Doty (Royalton); Fritz (Faribault); Greiling (Roseville); Hosch (St. Joseph); Kath (Owatonna); Lenczewski (Bloomington); Lesch (St. Paul); Lieder (Crookston); Marquart (Dilworth); Murphy, M. (Hermantown); Norton (Rochester); Olin (Thief River Falls); Otremba (Long Prairie); Pelowski (Winona); Ruud (Minnetonka); Slawik (Maplewood); Sterner (Rosemount); Ward (Brainerd); Welti (Plainview)

REPUBLICANS VOTING YES

Buesgens (Jordan); Demmer (Hayfield); Garofalo (Farmington); Gunther (Fairmont); Hackbarth (Cedar); Kelly (Red Wing); McNamara (Hastings)

REPUBLICANS VOTING NO

Abeler (Anoka); Anderson, B. (Buffalo Twp); Anderson, P. (Starbuck); Anderson, S. (Plymouth); Beard (Shakopee); Brod (New Prague); Cornish (Good Thunder); Davids (Preston); Dean (Dellwood); Dettmer (Forest Lake); Doepke (Orono); Downey (Edina); Drazkowski (Wabasha); Eastlund (Isanti); Emmer (Delano); Gottwalt (St. Cloud); Hamilton (Mountain Lake); Holberg (Lakeville); Hoppe (Chaska); Howes (Walker); Kiffmeyer (Big Lake); Kohls (Victoria); Lanning (Moorhead); Loon (Eden Prairie); Mack (Apple Valley); Magnus (Slayton); McFarlane (White Bear Lake); Murdock (Ottertail); Nornes (Fergus Falls); Peppin (Rogers); Sanders (Blaine); Scott (Andover); Seifert (Marshall); Severson (Sauk Rapids); Shimanski (Silver Lake); Smith (Mound); Torkelson (Nelson Twp); Urdahl (Grove City); Westrom (Elbow Lake); Zellers (Maple Grove)

ROLL CALL VOTE — SENATE

Roll call votes Monday as the Senate, on a 38-28 vote, approved a measure to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana. Voting yes were 34 Democrats and 4 Republicans. Voting no were 12 Democrats and 16 Republicans.

DEMOCRATS VOTING YES

Anderson (St. Paul); Bakk (Cook); Berglin (Minneapolis); Betzold (Fridley); Bonoff (Minnetonka); Carlson (Eagan); Chaudhary (Fridley); Clark (St. Cloud); Cohen (St. Paul); Dahle (Northfield); Dibble (Minneapolis); Doll (Burnsville); Erickson Ropes (Winona); Foley (Coon Rapids); Higgins (Minneapolis); Kelash (Minneapolis); Latz (St. Louis Park); Lourey (Kerrick); Marty (Roseville); Metzen (South St. Paul); Moua (St. Paul); Murphy (Red Wing); Pappas (St. Paul); Pogemiller (Minneapolis); Prettner Solon (Duluth); Rest (New Hope); Rummel (White Bear Lake); Saltzman (Woodbury); Scheid (Brooklyn Park); Sheran (Mankato); Sieben (Newport); Tomassoni (Chisholm); Torres Ray (Minneapolis); Wiger (Maplewood)

DEMOCRATS VOTING NO

Fobbe (Zimmerman); Kubly (Granite Falls); Langseth (Glyndon); Lynch (Rochester); Olseen (Harris); Olson, M. (Bemidji); Saxhaug (Grand Rapids); Skoe (Clearbrook); Skogen (Hewitt); Sparks (Austin); Stumpf (Plummer); Vickerman (Tracy)

REPUBLICANS VOTING YES

Johnson (Ham Lake); Koering (Fort Ripley); Michel (Edina); Vandeveer (Forest Lake)

REPUBLICANS VOTING NO

Day (Owatonna); Dille (Dassel); Fischbach (Paynesville); Frederickson (New Ulm); Gerlach (Apple Valley); Gimse (Willmar); Hann (Eden Prairie); Ingebrigtsen (Alexandria); Jungbauer (East Bethel); Koch (Buffalo); Limmer (Maple Grove); Ortman (Chanhassen); Pariseau (Farmington); Robling (Jordan); Rosen (Fairmont); Senjem (Rochester)

REPUBLICANS NOT VOTING

Olson, G. (Minnetrista)

By Jason Hoppin
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