MARIJUANA BILL'S FUTURE CLOUDY

ST. PAUL -- Minnesota senators narrowly voted Tuesday to allow some
patients in extreme pain to smoke marijuana, and the House author of
the measure predicted a narrow victory, but Gov. Tim Pawlenty promises
to veto any such bill.

The 33-31 Senate vote followed a debate that featured supporters who
said they want to ease people's pain fighting those who worried that
allowing medical marijuana would lead to more widespread use of it.

"There is not a person on the Senate floor or a person in the state of
Minnesota who hasn't witnessed ... somebody in their world affected by
a debilitating disease that medicinal marijuana could possibly help,"
Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, said.

Murphy's bill would allow doctors and other medical professionals to
recommend cancer, glaucoma, AIDS and other patients in a lot of pain
use of marijuana. Patients could have up to 2.5 ounces of the plant,
and could replenish it every 15 days from an organization with state
permission to grow it.

The bill forbids anyone using medical marijuana from operating a motor
vehicle and does not allow it to be smoked near schools or other
public areas.

Employers would not be required to allow employees to smoke
marijuana.

Murphy said marijuana only could be used to relieve pain that
traditional drugs have not relieved after six months' treatment.

Several rural Democrats joined the mostly Republican opposition to the
bill. They included Keith Langseth of Glyndon, Mary Olson of Bemidji,
Rod Skoe of Clearbrook, Jim Vickerman of Tracy, Gary Kubly of Granite
Falls and Dan Skogen of Hewitt.

Olson said the bill lacked measures to prevent marijuana from getting
into the wrong hands.

"My main concern is that this bill is far too broadly drafted to
prevent widespread abuse," Olson, DFL-Bemidji, said after the vote.

Also, Olson said, marijuana use could pose other health problems,
including birth defects.

"The real disagreement comes down to whether a person thinks this is a
dangerous drug or not," Olson said.

Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, said marijuana "is a gateway
drug" that leads to harder drug and alcohol use.

"There is an awful lot of people who suffer because of the addiction,"
he said.

Besides, he added, passing the bill would send young people the
message that marijuana is good for them.

Murphy said last year, 20,000 Americans died of alcohol abuse, but no
one ever has died from a marijuana overdose.

He said the bill contains many precautions to keep marijuana out of
the wrong hands.

Murphy said he will try to include the legislation in a larger health
and human services funding bill this week.

However, when reporters asked him about that Tuesday afternoon,
Pawlenty said he would veto any bill allowing medical marijuana use.

The House author of the health and human services funding bill, Rep.
Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, said he expects it to receive a vote by the
full House next week. He said it will be close.