MEDICINAL-MARIJUANA DECISION CHALLENGED

A national organization filed a petition Friday that asks a Hennepin
County judge to compel Minneapolis officials to put a medical
marijuana initiative on the November ballot.

Last month, the Minneapolis City Council decided not to allow a
citywide vote on amending the city charter to require the city to set
up a marijuana distribution system if medicinal use of the drug
becomes legal.

The Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project then announced
plans for a legal challenge.

A locally based group called Citizens Organized for Harm Reduction
gathered nearly 12,000 signatures calling for the referendum and later
gathered another 690 signatures after a substantial number of earlier
signatures were ruled invalid by election officials.

Ultimately, according to the petition, the group submitted 7,990 valid
signatures -- or 200 more than the 7,774 needed to demand a vote on a
charter amendment.

At its Aug. 20 meeting, however, the Minneapolis City Council voted
8-4 against putting the amendment on the ballot. Those who opposed the
amendment said it does not fit with the city charter's mission.

In the "Petition for Correction of Ballot Error," attorneys for the
Marijuana Policy Project argue that city officials do not have the
legal authority to refuse to place the amendment on the ballot.

Peter Ginder, acting deputy city attorney, said he had not seen the
petition and could not comment on it.