NEW PUSH FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

Backers of medical marijuana want the face of Stephanie
Whiting-Shadinger to be one of those Minnesota lawmakers remember as
debate resumes at the State Capitol on allowing some patients to use
the now-illegal drug.

Whiting-Shadinger died in 2003 at age 26, suffering from malignant
melanoma that required experimental treatments, chemotherapy and 10
surgeries. Daily doses of pain killers failed to relieve her misery.

Joni Whiting, a suburban grandma from Jordan, will be testifying
today in a Senate committee that she reluctantly abandoned her
anti-drug sentiments and went along with her daughter smoking
marijuana in her final days. And she's glad she did.

Opposition to legalizing medicinal marijuana remains strong among
those concerned about its effects on drug abuse. But supporters hope
new strategies can build support for their cause.

Like nothing else, Joni Whiting said, marijuana eased some of her
daughter's pain and restored some of her appetite. She lived three
months longer than doctors predicted, smiled for the first time in
months and was able to eat a mushroom and cheese omelette the day
before she died.

Before her daughter's illness, Whiting said, "I looked at people
talking about medical marijuana as the potheads, lazy people wanting
to smoke pot and sit on the couch all day. My daughter was living
proof that this plant is a miracle plant and it worked.

"She smiled again and she played with her children. It was a miracle
what happened to my daughter from the moment she smoked that pot."

It's stories like those -- from people no one would expect to sing
marijuana's praises -- that supporters hope will persuade legislators
to add Minnesota to the list of 13 states that permit some form of
medicinal use of marijuana. The proposal, debated repeatedly in
recent years, has gained support among legislators but has been
blocked by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said the governor remains opposed
but would reconsider if law enforcement officials do.

A Different Strategy

The proposal, as in past years, would establish a system through
which qualified patients could obtain marijuana to ease pain and
other symptoms through nonprofit organizations registered with the
state. Its proponents are aware that credibility is an issue, having
failed to win decisive support in previous years with the testimony
of pony-tailed supporters saying they needed the marijuana to treat
unusual or elusive conditions.

This time, advocates will be bringing forward people with spinal cord
injuries, cancer and HIV-AIDS to make their case.

"There are real human faces behind this issue," said Chris
DeLaForest, a former Republican legislator now lobbying for the
medical marijuana advocacy group. "What we are doing is presenting,
in flesh and blood, people who represent those medical conditions."

Even though one quarter of the states have passed laws regulating the
use of medical marijuana, they remain in conflict with federal law.
But the Obama administration has sent signals that federal resources
should not be used to circumvent state laws related to medical
marijuana. Advocates hope the new president's views will aide their cause.

'Our Opposition Is Steadfast'

But local law enforcement has seen nothing new to lessen their
opposition. Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom, immediate past
president of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, said law
enforcement's concerns that medical marijuana systems are rife for
abuse and legitimize drug use remain serious.

"Every major law enforcement organization continues to oppose it. It
would simply be bad public policy to adopt the bill. Our opposition
is steadfast," Backstrom said.

In addition, the Minnesota Family Council plans to oppose the bill as
it has in the past, with people testifying about personal experiences
with the dangers of smoking marijuana and how the bill will put the
public's health at risk.