HERE WE GO AGAIN, THE LEFTIST MINNESOTA POLITICIANS FOUND ANOTHER WAY TO DRUG DOWN THE PUBLIC, KEEPING THEM IGNORANT TO THE REAL WORLD.

I totally agree. Why would anyone want to relieve some of the excruciating pain that comes along with chronic diseases? It's called compassion, idiot.

The anti medical marijuana person appears to be ignorant to the purpose of the caps lock key.

By the way. Why does a person so obviously against the views printed in Stop The Drug War's newsletter bother reading it? I'm always open to other views, but you are wasting your time; and probably your employer's. (FBI?)

Or maybe you are a member of MART? (Mother's Against Rational Thinking)

Really, don't you have anything better to do than come to a site and post messages that are the antithesis of what the site stands for? As a 'leftist Minnesotan'' myself, I resent your very presence on this web page.
If you believe a medical marijuana bill will serve to allow criminals and dealers to freely roam our streets and keep our society 'drugged down,' then you are clearly ignorant. And clearly a Republican. The two are synonymous right? If it were up to me, I'd put the VETO stamp on Pawlenty's forehead. And then I'd stamp MORON on yours. It is the Republican agenda in this state that has gotten out of hand, and at the head of it is Pawlenty.
It's very difficult to continue to tolerate this sort of conservative, right-winged, closed minded (or absent minded) mindset. I'd say I'd just move to Canada to live in the true land of the free, but then I'd just be letting the right wing win. I am not going anywhere and neither are the other supporters of medical marijuana. Your quest to restrict people of their rights, freedoms etc. is futile. We're gonna keep pushing our 'leftist agendas,' if that's what you want to call equality, and I hope it continues to grate you like fingernails on a chalkboard. Instead of my moving to Canada, why don't you go to HELL.

I watched this bill go through the senate on tuesday. It was very interesting to watch the responses that Murphy got. He presented the bill, which in my mind was very well constructed and well thought out, but there wasnt a single person that contradicted his bill that didnt use the "gateway" myth; they even pushed it to point of trying to say cigarettes are the gateway drug. Further more why are people so upset about this when the DEA schedules cocaine as a shedule 2 drug, which means and can be used for medicine and in fact is used by doctors in some local anasthetics.

To. the raging commentor at the top,
-THINK BEFORE YOU POST-

What is DRC.net some type of private club for leftist druggies? Against the free speech of rightwing zealots and/or thirteen year olds? Sheesh, show some tolerance for the rationally challenged.

you go, minnesota! join the enlightened group of states in this country that see marijuana for what it actually is - an herb with safe and practical medical value.
to those that are still nervous (or even irrationally outright afraid) of marijuana:

wake up! people have been smoking this plant for thousands of years, but for some reason in the last 80 years people (i.e. "those in power"/people with money and influence in the united states/rich, white folks) have started to hate it. just a few years before the marihuana tax act was passed, we were using cannabis extracts for cough medicine! wake up, i say.

if you're worried about marijuana "taking over," and somehow (hopefully, i say) becoming legal, don't be - more dangerous drugs have already dominated our culture (and much of the industrialized world) since their inception: tobacco, caffeine, and many prescription medications.

people somehow are still living under the delusion that making a drug illegal will erase it. lo and behold! drugs that are illegal are actually more easily accessible to our children. if we legalize and regulate these drugs, we can keep them OUT of the hands of children. it seems like a blatant contradiction, i know. however, it is way harder for a child to buy alcohol or cigarettes on his or her own that to buy marijuana from some dealer on the street. dealers don't card! but a dispensary that is regulated by the same laws as alcohol and cigarettes will! (or have their license revoked) have we learned nothing from prohibition of alcohol? the only difference between the prohibition of alcohol and the prohibition of marijuana is that alcohol has been the drug-of-choice for the dominant culture of this country (along with coffee and cigarettes, of course). however, this is changing - many more people are trying marijuana and realizing *gasp* it's not that bad!

if you don't use drugs of any kind, i definitely do not advocate it - there are ways to get 'high'/'drunk'/'wired' without them. however, please make the compassionate decision to allow a few sick people in this state smoke/vaporize marijuana to help them eat, see, and feel happy in this depressing world. it is the LEAST we should do in terms of reforming the failing marijuana policies in this country.

People who rationalize thier thoughts and actions through our governments political agenda need to start thinking for themselves. In fact, I urge everyone to do so, even if it goes against what you believe to be correct. You'll find that keeping an open mind and respecting other peoples decisions feels pretty damn good.

if people want to smoke pot then that's their deal. who is the law to judge the life we live? im sure they have all done it..hypocrites!. marijuana is a plant, and herb from this earth that god gave us so why not smoke it? and the law shouldnt arrest us or give is fines for what we want to put in our own bodies? they need to go fight some real crime and arrest the murderers and crack heads. alcohol takes lives..with pot no one dies..

Like it says...yeah it's fun and stuff for people who use it recreationally.
But, some people with injuries or other chronic pain the drug is not entirely used for fun. The right type (indica) of marijuana takes away muscular-skeletal pain. A good Hybrid (indica / sativa) will take away pain and have a peaceful, calming, happy sensations.

Ignore the hypocrites.

I think someone said...move to where the medical marijuana is...I seem to think they are telling you to leave...you go now. ("they don't want you and your compassionate caregiving idealogy here in MN")
If that's what they said and I'd say they are just dinosaurs.

Having state organized marijuana clubs. Cannabis club membership cards.
The hazard is that if you're able to purchase from a cannabis club and you transport the medicine and are caught with it by police, depending on the amount, you'll still be ticketed. or worse.

this bill needs to pass.
you don't get it, you'll never get it.
everyone smokes weed anyways, just legalize it!

I was gonna give a shit...but than I got high

The fact that this bill barely passed, shows nearly half of those politicians voting still have their heads up their rectums. How many of those congressmen went out for cocktails after the session? A person that has consumed excess alcohol can be a lethal threat to themselves and others. A person that has consumed excess pot in only a threat to a bag of chips and/or cookies. For gods sake, legalize pot for medical usage and continue to decriminalize it for the rest of the public. Then, buy stock in Frito Lay and Keebler. Let law enforcement utilize their resources to combat important things like rape, murder, theft and drunk drivers. Personally, I am a hell of a lot more concerned about what has happened to my 401K than whether my neighbor smokes pot.

This should be passed, I never met my grandfather but my dad told me stories about him and how when he was dieing of cancer he smoked some marijuanna it helped him eat, deal with the pain, and come to terms with his demise. Does anyone even know why it was made illeagle? It was to get the mexicans out of the united states in the early 1900's no lie i saw it on the history channel. Cocaine was made illeagle to put african americans in jail, ect all drugs were made illeagle due to racism. We are no longer a country of racism look at Obama I voted for him. Now lets enter the 21st century and stop putting people in jail for drugs wasting our tax money and tax them to bring in money. 3.5 grams for 20 bucks cost to produce and market prob less then 1 dollar then collect tax on the other 19 dollars!! tax the other 19 dollars!!

Poeple sit here and complain about something that is good for our states and our lives.
in my opinion i believe that if for 10 minutes, just ten minutes, everyone sat down and smoked marijuana, in that ten minutes the world would be silent. the pleasure of no fighting the dream of less ignorance to our worldly issues.are communities are plagued with a nonsensical version of society's imperfection. we just need peace, and bud will provide it.

I am a person that needs to get a Medical Marijuana Permit.

I suffer from four dieases Osteoporosis ,Fibermyagia ,Achalasia,Acid Reflux to the extreme level. I have been in six high impact auto accidents but none of them while on marijuana i never smoked and drove ever..

I currently am on 17 different medications 4 which are are narcotics, I would truly benefit from medical marijuana and I want to get off some of the narcotics and I know I can with Marijuana . Because I have smoked marijuana in the past years when I was able to work, to manage the pain from the auto accidents. I have not been able to work since 2001. When I had my last auto accident. I know how much marijuana has helped me to manage pain in the past. And I know I can easily grow it myself once I can get a medical marijuana permit. I have a website on youtube about medical marijuana trying to help others in need of information about it. please feel free to check it out. http://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalMarijuanaNews.

I think marijuana should be legal like everyone else has said pot don't kill people like alcohol and how many cases of lung cancer has been reported from smoking pot? Fuck Pawlenty get a pothead for a governor to get it legalized.

Fact: There is no scientific data to support that pot is a gateway drug. Fact: Pot is higher in carcinogens than tobacco. Fact: There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that pot leads to amotivational syndrome (people become unmotivated and apathetic). Like any other recreational substance, there are pros and cons. Personally, as a conservative, I would like to see the govt remove the biggest source of income for gangs and dealers.

The left in this country is just as guilty as the right when it comes to social engineering and trying to give the govt all the power to "protect us from ourselves". I say it's time for govt to get the hell out of our way and leave us to make our own decisions about what to smoke, eat, drink, drive, etc.

The problem isn't about Marijuana being an addictive drug .. I have a friend who is in his mid 20's who hurt his back at work has had 2 back operations. He lives every day in pain and he has to force himself out of bed and deal with this pain every day.. The DR. tells him no surgery will every make him better He can get any RX pain killer "DRUG" that are extremely addictive and change the way he thinks and acts to the point of almost being a zombie and not being able to hold any food down. I think the real problem is that the BIG DRUG RX company doesn't want to see their profits go bye bye when everyone figures out they can grow a plant that does the same thing in most cases and doesn't make you act like a zombie or make you throw up.. Think of a quality of life, if there is something out there that can make a person feel better or improve their outlook on their grim situation and is already legal in part of the country shouldn't they have a right to that. I am not for everyone in the world to be smoked up out of their minds but it is something were this can be done right and everyone can benefit from it.

Ive suffered with depression most of my adult life. Ive never admitted this publicly, although, its fairly obvious to most people that I do. Ive never considered conventional antidepressant drugs because of the fear of the side effects and the negative stigma that this condition and all mental conditions come with. Do these drugs available provide the relief that could counter balance the fact that a rubber stamp of mentally ill will follow me my entire life. I believe marijuana does. My approach to coping with this has always been put my head down grit my teeth and fight it tooth and nail. This method isn't ideal. It makes me quite abrasive socially and I am certain I have lost jobs due to this method of coping.

My depression manifests its self in week long to month long funks where I feel no joy. Even things I loved for years bring me no solace, no reprieve. Its hard to be happy when you forget how to smile. Ive used pot before to help break these funks that I find myself in from time to time and its almost miraculous how quickly I can over come these feeling with the aid of marijuana. so much so that i can comfortably say my experience with pot has been nearly a religious one.

Unfortunately, there is only one source for this reprieve and it is the most unscrupulous and sometimes the most dangerous people in my community. Id like to never have to associate my self with these types of people but the prohibition of marijuana makes this impossible. There is also the concern that the marijuana has been tainted by some unknown additive. Its common for dealers to add all sorts of chemicals to weed to intensify the effects of the high. The worst sounding of which is embalming fluid. yes the chemical used in the preservation of a corpse. I have no idea what effect this has but I feel safe in assuming brain damage is one of them.

Ive thought long and hard over the pros and cons of marijuana for years. Was I happier before or after the first time I consumed marijuana. Does the use of marijuana create a atmosphere where I can develop other mental problems the most prevalent of course long term paranoia. Does it make me more pron to a sedimentary life style. Is it a gateway to a life of much more dangerous and destructive drugs.

My conclusions are as follows. yea I am happier the recovery time of my depressive episodes is nearly instant. I believe that its not the drug itself that makes one paranoid but the situation the person finds himself in. For an example if I am driving with a sober friend and I see a police officer my paranoid thoughts become overwhelming. I have nothing against police officers in fact I really respect what they do. However, the state of incredible sensitivity to emotional responses fills me with dread. Living like this everyday could create a situation where I got in the habit of feeling paranoid. Does it keep me indoors on the couch and just all around lazy. It does but for a different reason then one unfamiliar with the effects of marijuana might expect. Marijuana induces a very relaxed mood when other negative stimuli are not present. I don't see myself taking a jog after the use of pot. I do, however, enjoy nature walks in my local state park. The gateway theory has been around since day one of the war on drugs. I have a theory of my own. Many of the people you can obtain marijuana from don't sell marijuana alone. They have a plethora of mind altering substances. These people have no problem getting you hooked on some if not all they have to offer. Will a person using marijuana from a safe reputable source seek out these people so they can experiment with other substances? Absolutely not.

If in the end the bill passes and my depression isn't deemed an except able malady and the consumption of marijuana not a proper treatment I still wholeheartedly support this medicine for the dying.

Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. No one has ever died from an overdose, and it has a wide variety of therapeutic applications:

* Relief from nausea and increase of appetite;

* Reduction of intarlobular ("within the eye") pressure;

* Reduction of muscle spasms;

* Relief from chronic pain.

Marijuana is frequently beneficial in the treatment of the following conditions:

WAMM caregiver volunteering
in the garden

Marijuana is frequently beneficial in the treatment of the following conditions:

* AIDS. Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by various AIDS medications.

* Glaucoma. Marijuana can reduce interlobular pressure, thereby alleviating the pain and slowing -- and sometimes stopping -- the progress of the condition. (Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. It damages vision by increasing eye pressure over time.)

* Cancer. Marijuana can stimulate the appetite and alleviate nausea and vomiting, which are common side effects of chemotherapy treatment.

* Multiple Sclerosis. Marijuana can limit the muscle pain and spasticity caused by the disease, as well as relieving tremor and unsteadiness of gait. (Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause of neurological disability among young and middle-aged adults in the United States.)

* Epilepsy. Marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures in some patients.

* Chronic Pain. Marijuana can alleviate the chronic, often debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and injuries.

Each of these applications has been deemed legitimate by at least one court, legislature, and/or government agency in the United States.

Many patients also report that marijuana is useful for treating arthritis, migraine, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, and depression and other debilitating mood disorders.

Marijuana could be helpful for millions of patients in the United States. Nevertheless, other than for the seven people with special permission from the federal government, medical marijuana remains illegal!

People currently suffering from any of the conditions mentioned above, for whom the legal medical options have proven unsafe or ineffective, have two options:

1. Continue to suffer from the ailment itself; or

2. Illegally obtain marijuana -- and risk suffering consequences such as:

* an insufficient supply due to the prohibition-inflated price or scarcity;

* impure, contaminated, or chemically adulterated marijuana;

* arrests, fines, court costs, property forfeiture, incarceration, probation, and criminal records.

Background

Prior to 1937, at least 27 medicines containing marijuana were legally available in the United States. Many were made by well-known pharmaceutical firms that still exist today, such as Squibb (now Bristol-Myers Squibb) and Eli Lilly. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 federally prohibited marijuana. Dr. William C. Woodward of the American Medical Association opposed the Act, testifying that prohibition would ultimately prevent the medicinal uses of marijuana.

The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 placed all illicit and prescription drugs into five "schedules" (categories). Marijuana was placed in Schedule I, defining it as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medicinal use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.

This definition simply does not apply to marijuana. Of course, at the time of the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana had been prohibited for more than three decades. Its medicinal uses forgotten, marijuana was considered a dangerous and addictive narcotic.

A substantial increase in the number of recreational users in the 1970s contributed to the rediscovery of marijuana's medicinal uses:

1. Many scientists studied the health effects of marijuana and inadvertently discovered marijuana's astonishing medicinal history in the process.

2. Many who used marijuana recreationally also suffered from diseases for which marijuana is beneficial. By fluke, they discovered its therapeutic usefulness.

As the word spread, more and more patients started self-medicating with marijuana. However, marijuana's Schedule I status bars doctors from prescribing it and severely curtails research.

Let's face it......As the gentleman above said, people have been smoking marijuana for thousands of years and NOT ONE
person has died from it, yet our govt. has portrayed this plant
as a "devils drug" and "gateway drug" that will either make you go crazy (remember all the pathetic, cheezy movies
they made to make people think it was bad, like Reefer Madness when in fact the REAL reason was b/c they couldn't
put a tax on it and citizens who sold it were profiting enormously off it while the govt. wasn't getting a cent?), or will
most definitely lead you to try harder drugs which they say happens in all cases of people who've smoked it. That is completely untrue and just another lie from the govt. to continue with and maintain their stereotypical and distorted view of marijuana to the American people. Why don't people who oppose the legalization of it just take a look at other countries who have and what the results are? The numbers
speak for themselves, especially in Portugal. All u people out there, LOOK IT UP AND FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF! Don't take the government's word for it, look at the concrete evidence and statistics as well as the REAL, FACTUAL history of the plant itself, rather than the government's version of it; they will only continue to lie to you and distort the truth.
Alcohol & cigarettes kill millions of people every year yet THEY continue to keep it legal and a harmless plant illegal that has medicinal purposes and advantages. DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE TO YOU? No matter how much they try to fight it (DEA) it will only be a matter of time. Pawlenty can veto it all he wants, but as more states continue to be in favor of it for medicinal purposes, pressure will start to mount and overwhelm him and whoever else opposes it and THE MASSES, WE THE PEOPLE, WILL SUPPORT AND ADVOCATE ITS BENEFITS IN THE LONG RUN. As I type this, that's happening right now: 73% of the population of Ohio is in favor for legalizing it medically, while, in terms of the country as a whole, 96% of the American population favors decriminalization, and/or legalization for medicinal purposes as well. Can I get a hallelujah? Yes, of the people,for the people,and by the people. We WILL overcome.

I suffer from a chronic back injury due to a horrific car accident in which I was not a driver. I have dealt with the pain every single day of the last 5 years after fore mentioned accident. Not only do I dislike the use of opiates and other "behind the counter drugs", I am shunned when making an attempt to recieve even a minute prescription to them as if I am some sort of fiend looking for my next fix. If using marijuana medicinally is out of the question why is it made impossible for people like myself to seek other forms of pain relief? I have smoked marijuana to relieve my agony for some time but now I have a family and find it impossible to get by every month financially. It is even more difficult to try and scrape together enough cash to purchase a bag at street prices. Not to mention the issues of legality this presents. I know how to grow but cannot do so becuase I refuse to put my beautiful baby girl at risk. So what is a guy to do? I know I'm just another unheard voice in the sea of men and women who want to see a change. We don't need "hope" obama... this country cannot be run off hopes and dreams so snip the puppeteers wires and hold up to your "word". In the meantime, we need to forget our differences and come together as a whole because a single voice will never be heard. Not here, not in this country of "freedom". Let's do it! Let's be loud and heard! Talk about it, this isn't a personal problem, let's discuss it and do something together! If we can show pawlenty how many unhappy, honest, hard-working citizens he has on his hands he will at least take a moment to consider that openly blowing this off right out of the gate will NOT be in his best interest.

I am 19 years old and my mother is in the other room dying of metastasized breast cancer that has spread to her bones, brain, and chest cavity. Early on she was prescribed oxycontin to deal with the pain and was shortly thereafter addicted to them. The side effects from the pain medications caused many problems which required even more medications to treat. It has gotten to the point where she now consumes more medication than actual food. I am absolutely disgusted by the complete lack of compassion for those suffering with this disease. I sit in this hospital wondering why "human beings" allow people to go through so much suffering. I truly believe if medical marijuana was legalized for cancer patients I would not be in this hospital wondering how much longer my mom will be here. She would have been able to eat. She would have been able to keep her antibiotics down. She would not be dying in the other room as we speak. Even if this is not true, she would at least be at home spending the last days of her life surrounded by loved ones. She was mentally completely functional until she had been hospitalized for the first time and prescribed 10+ drugs to take on a daily basis. I'm hoping for a miracle that she will pull through, but even if she were to, she will never be the same person I know and love. This is not the last you will have heard of me. From this point on I am committed to preventing anyone from ever having to experience what my mother or myself have.

ya i just got some weed the other day and watched the hangover.i laughed so hard.dont u see marijuana is just all positive.nothing negative comes out of it.

I have fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. Both diseases are very painful and cause me to be disabled. I'm on pain meds but they don't help much. Why don't they legalize pot for medical purposes? If it helps people with pain management...why not? People are drugged for everything nowadays...and the pain meds can get you hooked. Pot doesn't get you "hooked" or lead to harder drugs. That is a bunch of malarky. It's no worse than drinking alcohal. I don't understand why there is such a stigma about pot and they allow much worse things to be out there that people get can hooked on. Pawlenty doesn't have a frickin' clue what it's like to have chronic pain. Give him the condition and let's see how he responds.

sounds good man.
take hits of chronic from the bong!
but stay away from the crack and meth, thats the real dope!

It's a very good thing to make marijuana medication for the people, lots say it kills brain cells well I can tell you your WRONG... Marijuana does not kill brain cells the scientist who did that study pumped 35 Colombian strength joints into a few monkeys face's with in 5 Minute's allowing no oxygen so what he did was suffocate the monkey's, and the first thing that happens when you suffocate is your brain cells die off this is what he did to them and based his study off of and people have had it stuck in there head every sense. Further study's in 2005 show that marijuana can possibly even stimulate! the brain cells encouraging them to reproduce, this study hasn't been shown as much attention hmm I wonder why. Where does this leave us? with lung cancer ohh marijuana is soo bad for the lung's! well your WRONG again. There's not one Hospital or university in the world that has a record of an ONLY marijuana smoker dieing from it or getting emphysema or cancer lung NOT ONE If they had a picture it would be printed all over the media like cigarettes the only thing it does is Paralyze the Celia so yes it should be done moderately but all and all it's a hell of a lot more healthy than cigarettes or alcohol marijuana should not be frowned upon any one with negative information on marijuana feel free to email me so I can shut your answer down with the correct one. Thanks for reading and happy bud smoking guy's

I have smoked for over 10 years and pot is the only thing that keeps my mind straight.I have bipolar with severe anxiety and weed is the only true thing that helps me.I've tryed all sorts of meds and none of them work like weed does for me.it needs to be legalized.the reason the government doesn't want to legalize it is cause they make way too much from perscription meds and from all the smokers in the system.they are scared they will lose that money

I have a drug war cost chart on my website updated in real time. This gives us hope that these numbers will stop!

I have been struggling with severe depression and Borderline Personality Disorder all my life.  I am miserable most of the time, my emotions never really in check and bouts of anger constantly on the edge of my subconscious.  I've been taking large doses of anti-depressants since I've been a child, but the pills only serve to numb me.  The use of marijuana leaves me calm, reduces my anxiety, and puts my emotions in check.  I don't sit on the couch all day and eat potato chips and laugh at that 70's show.  smoking marijuana gives me the strength and ambition (that i would regularly not have because of my BPD) to go out and work and do things i wouldn't normally be able to do.  Minnesota needs to legalize Medicinal Marijuana, because I am only a spec in the gigantic sea of people in Minnesota dealing with mental issues otherwise unaffected by other medications.