House and Senate have just agreed on a bill that regulates parameters for medical marijuana use in Minnesota, although it is going to pass with several restrictions.
House and Senate have just agreed on a bill that regulates parameters for medical marijuana use in Minnesota, although it is going to pass with several restrictions.
The matter divides politicians: while Democratic Senator Scott Dibble thinks the law that allows medical marijuana "can make a real difference for the better for some patients", Republican Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen, a former scheriff, says it could be a step toward legalizing recreational marijuana.
While in USA there are about 2,4 million patients using it for medical aims and 53 percent of American doctors are supporting the legalization, cannabis is the most popular and accessible drug in U.S.: according to official estimates, about 48 percent of Americans say they have tried it, and 6,5 percent of high school seniors admit to daily use, even if it is illegal in almost all of the United States.
The compromise of the deal
At the end of the debate, Minnesota lawmakers have found a compromise to legalize medical marijuana.
During the latest conference, Sen. Dibble admitted that the bill is more limited than others in U.S., but at least it is not opposed by law enforcement, as it initially was.
However, he is proud to have come to an agreement between House and Senate and said "People in Minnesota who are suffering today who have no good options or options at all can have the hope of gaining some relief". As well he said that through the approval of medical marijuana the State of Minnesota made some progress, an important step toward people who have been asking for it for many years.
After the agreement, some patients lamented that it does not allow them to use actual plant material that they could easily get from private production by using the different methods to cultivate cannabis, but for several ill children and adults it is still a real victory: families will no longer have to move to other Countries to treat with cannabis their diseases.
The Governor Mark Dayton said he will surely do everything possible to get this bill soon into law and will help patients suffering from cancer, chronic pain, glaucoma, Tourette’s syndrome, AIDS, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and other diseases, to achieve marijuana therapies.
Which are the key features of the proposal
The law details a list of health circumstances for which medical marijuana may be used: eight medical conditions would qualify for treatment such as glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Tourette's syndrome, Crohn’s disease, seizures and other types of chronic pain associated with cancer and terminal illnesses. The measure would not extend usage to post traumatic stress syndrome or all intractable pain.
Patients would pay a registry fee of either $ 200 to help cover program costs. A person found guilty of transferring medical marijuana to a person other than a registered patient would face a potential $ 3.000 fine, in addiction to jail time.
Two manufacturers would distribute medical marijuana at eight precise locations in Minnesota established by geographical need.
Among approved methods for delivering the drug, smoking is not allowed. Patients can instead use medical cannabis in oil, pills and vapor form.
The bill would allow the Department of Health to conduct a study on the impact of medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana in the United States
The recent research on cannabis conducted in these years by the main international Centers and Universities around the world has shown how chemicals in marijuana can help to treat some conditions. For example, they have helped reduced muscle spasms (cannabinoid compounds are anticonvulsant), worked as an appetite stimulant, and as an alternative drug for brain disorders such as schizophrenia. Many studies conducted in children too, have revealed how cannabis is helpful for epilepsy, a neurological condition that 2,3 million Americans live with.
Minnesota is today the 22nd state of America to legalize medical marijuana: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington have already passed laws providing for limited legal protections from arrest for authorized patients who use cannabis with a doctor's prescription. As for Colorado and Washington, the law allows the use of cannabis for recreational purposes too.
In the rest of the Country, there are many movements and petition campaigns asking for legalization of medical marijuana. Several political parties and associations were also created to oppose drug prohibition.