MEDICAL POT QUESTION REJECTED FOR BALLOT BY MINNEAPOLIS COMMITTEE; GROUP SUES

As soon as a Minneapolis City Council panel Tuesday decided against
putting a medicinal marijuana question on the November ballot, a
policy group threatened to sue.

The Intergovernmental Relations Committee voted 5-0 against putting
the issue on the ballot. Chairman Scott Benson said the proposal
contravenes current state and federal law.

The proposal would ask the voters whether to amend the City Charter
"to require that the City Council shall authorize, license, and
regulate a reasonable number of medicinal marijuana distribution
centers in the city of Minneapolis as is necessary to provide services
to patients who have been recommended medicinal marijuana by a medical
or osteopathic doctor licensed to practice in the state of Minnesota
to the extent permitted by state and federal law."

Benson said the proposal is unnecessary because if medicinal marijuana
were legal, there's little doubt the city would set up centers for
distribution. Instead, he said the group that pushed the proposal,
Citizens for Harm Reduction, is trying to make a political point. "I
feel sorry for them that they're having a hard time getting their
message across to state or federal elected officials, but I don't see
putting that in the charter," Benson said.

Voting with Benson against putting the issue to voters were Council
President Paul Ostrow and Council Members Lisa Goodman, Barret Lane
and Natalie Johnson Lee. Council Member Paul Zerby was absent.

The Marijuana Policy Project, which is funding the citizens group,
said it will sue the city to get on the ballot, calling the reasons
for denial transparently phony. "We are fully prepared to go to court
and to spend whatever it takes to prevent the city's voters from being
disenfranchised," said Neal Levine, director of policies of the
Washington, D.C.-based project.

The group's petition contained more than 12,000 signatures, which are
still being validated by the city elections department. Some 7,774
signatures from registered voters are required.

The entire City Council is expected to consider the measure at
Friday's meeting. A similar outcome is expected.