MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN MINNEAPOLIS

Local Group Kicks Off Petition Drive to Put Law into City
Charter

Of all the negative consequences of marijuana prohibition, none is as
tragic as the denial of medicinal marijuana to those who could (and
already do) benefit from its use -- the disabled, sick and dying.

This includes cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, AIDS patients
suffering from "wasting syndrome," glaucoma patients, and those
suffering from chronic pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and a variety of
spastic conditions such as multiple sclerosis, paraplegia,
quadriplegia, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. This is why a group of
concerned citizens and advocates, primarily students at the University
of Minnesota Law School, are doing something about it.

Last week, the group (called COHR--Citizens Organized for Harm
Reduction) started gathering signatures to put a medical marijuana
amendment to Minneapolis voters in the November 2004 election. The
amendment seeks to "require that the City Council shall authorize,
license, and regulate a reasonable number of medical 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."

If passed, the amendment will not immediately start a medical
marijuana program in the city. Instead, it sets a framework for a
medical marijuana system in Minneapolis where private distributors
would be licensed and monitored by the city to distribute marijuana to
certified patients. The system will, however, immediately take effect
upon passage of a state law permitting medical marijuana.

This is somewhat of a grim prospect for patients most in need, as many
medical marijuana bills have been considered in the state legislature
since 1995, to no avail. This includes numerous efforts led by Rep.
Karen Clark (DFL - 61A) on passages of a variety of medical marijuana
legislation -- from establishing an affirmative defense for those with
debilitating medical conditions charged with marijuana possession
and/or sale -- to most recently, working with the Ventura
Administration's Depts. Of Health and Public Safety on legislation
that would provide a state marijuana medical use research grant with
an appropriation of $100,000.

There have been signs of hope in the state legislature that the choice
of medical marijuana will be treated from a health perspective as
opposed to a criminal justice one. A group of medical marijuana
patients and advocates, including George McMahon -- one of eight legal
medical marijuana patients that are supplied medicinal marijuana by
the U.S. federal government--advocated for the Compassionate Use Act
during the 2001 legislative session. The Compassionate Use Act,
courageously sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-59B) and Sen. John
Marty (DFL--54), is a bill to protect seriously ill patients from
prosecution for physician-supervised medicinal use of marijuana
(allowing patients and caregivers to "grow their own"). Ten states
currently have such laws (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,
Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington). Eight of
those laws were passed by citizen initiative (Hawaii and Maryland were
both passed legislatively), a process that does not exist in Minnesota
(although oddly advocated for by state Republicans every year, lead by
now House Majority Leader Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-52B), and opposed by
the DFL).

Due to the Legislature's continuous rejection of medical marijuana
proposals, and despite poll numbers consistently showing statewide
support of over 60 percent, citizens concerned that medical marijuana
will yet again be ignored at the state level have launched a campaign
to put the issue to voters in the city of Minneapolis. Third year law
student, Aaron Marcus, who is also National Treasurer for Students for
a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP http://www.ssdp.org), is one of the 20
electors and a key organizer for the drive.

"Thousands of Minnesotans suffer from debilitating medical conditions
that make each day a struggle and find traditional medicines
ineffective. Marijuana has been shown to diminish pain and allow some
relief from their illness while doing so with relative safety."

Marcus adds, "This amendment sends a strong message to state and
federal lawmakers that laws prohibiting medical marijuana need to be
changed."

This is the first time the issue of medical marijuana has been put to
the voters in Minnesota. In order to place the proposed amendment on
the November 2004 city ballot, organizers need to collect
approximately 7,800 valid signatures by next August (5 percent of the
total votes from the last municipal election).

The level of support for safe access to medical marijuana demonsrated
by opinion polls and voter initiatives leaves no reason for the State
of Minnesota to have stymied the issue for the past eight years. Yet,
patients in Minnesota are still forced to rely on a "criminal"
underground to provide their choice of medicine that works best for
them. Thank goodness that Minneapolis residents concerned for our own
disabled, sick and dying are finally being given the opportunity to
make a statement for positive change.

For more information or to contribute/volunteer, please contact Aaron
Marcus at marc0177@umn.edu or just call 612-237-1734.