Woodbury Rep. Andrea Kieffer Supports Medical Marijuana Bill

Woodbury Rep. Andrea Kieffer was among a handful of lawmakers who attended a Thursday press conference at the Capitol outlining a plan for medical marijuana in Minnesota.

“Why would you allow people to suffer if it has the potential to help patients?” she said.

Kieffer, a Republican, said the legislation wouldn’t likely be heard until next year.

While Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will not support such a bill without the backing of the law enforcement community, Rep. Carly Melin, DFL-Hibbing, said the legislation “strikes the appropriate balance between compassion, health and safety,” according to an Associated Press report on the Grand Forks Herald’s website.

Patients who are prescribed the drug would have to get a special identification card, which would carry a fee ranging from $25 to $100. They would be allowed to carry 2.5 ounces of marijuana at a time. Qualifying debilitating medical conditions include cancer, glaucoma, AIDS and other serious illnesses, reads part of the AP story from Brian Bakst.

Meanwhile, Kieffer said medical marijuana isn’t too different from other stronger prescription drugs, and doctors would be “highly restricted” in terms of their ability to prescribe marijuana to patients.

She said she has heard the concerns of those in law enforcement.

“But there are always going to be naysayers when it comes to thinking outside the box,” Kieffer said.

She noted that modern medicine is always finding new ways to treat people, and there is “no reason to go through life with blinders on.”

One co-sponsor of the bill is Rep. Dan Schoen, DFL-Cottage Grove, a police officer who worked in a narcotics unit, according to the AP report.

"If I see this vary in any way, shape or form to the point of full legalization, I will stand up in opposition," Schoen told the AP.

From the Marijuana Policy Project’s website:

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia already allow seriously ill residents to use medical marijuana with their doctors’ recommendations, and 65% of Minnesotans support a compassionate medical marijuana law. Thanks to the leadership of Rep. Melin and Sen. Dibble, the 2013-2014 legislative session could be the year Minnesota finally joins these jurisdictions and enacts compassionate legislation.

What do you think of the idea to allow doctors to prescribe marijuana? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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