VENTURA BACKS MEDICINAL POT

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Gov. Jesse Ventura said Wednesday that he supports
legalizing marijuana for medical use.

"Medical marijuana? I fully support it, absolutely. Who is government
to tell someone if they have AIDS or cancer, what they should be
taking?" Ventura said in response to a question from a student at the
University of St. Thomas.

"To me, you've got a kid here with cancer," he said. "I don't give a
damn if he smokes a joint."

A bill before the Minnesota Legislature this year would appropriate
$100,000 to study potential medicinal uses of marijuana.

California passed one of the nation's first medical marijuana laws in
1996, but it has been held up by a court fight. Hawaii passed a
similar law.

Voters in Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and
Washington have approved ballot initiatives allowing the use of
medical marijuana.