Minnesota committee hearing tomorrow — come support medical marijuana patients

Tomorrow [Editorial note: it is today actually, Tuesday April 10th], the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on S.F. 345, a bill to protect medical marijuana patients from arrest and prison. It is imperative that we have as many supporters at the Capitol as possible to show their support for this sensible legislation. If you can make it to the Capitol tomorrow, have questions, or would like additional information, please contact Rick Kelley in our Minnesota office by calling (612) 326-6690, ext. 801. If you are coming tomorrow, please remember to dress and act professionally.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Minnesota Capitol Building, Room 112, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul.
RSVP: Rick Kelley, (612) 326-6690, ext. 801

Even if you can’t make it tomorrow, you can still influence your legislators to support medical marijuana legislation this year. One of the most important things you can do right now is write a letter to the editor of your local papers in support of S.F. 345. It is imperative that lawmakers see examples of the widespread, statewide support this sensible legislation enjoys. While we have provided talking points for you to craft your letter, please try to personalize your letter as much as possible — a personalized letter is always more likely to be printed than a form letter. You can also check out some of the material in our library.

If you have not done so already, please also take a moment to send a letter to your state legislators. We have several form letters available to get you started, but please take a moment to personalize your letter before sending it to your legislators.

Our medical marijuana bills in both the House and the Senate are moving forward and could have floor votes in both chambers very soon. The Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee already passed S.F. 345, and the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on it tomorrow. Additionally, H.F. 655, the companion bill to S.F. 345, has cleared the House Health and Human Services Committee and the Public Safety and Civil Justice Committee, as well as the Health Care and Human Services Finance Division.

The momentum is clearly behind our bills. Please help maintain it by coming to the Capitol tomorrow.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message along to friends, family, neighbors, and e-mail lists so that others can stand up for Minnesota's most vulnerable residents as well.

This article is a Marijuana Policy Project Press Release

New Mexico Becomes 12th State to Legalize Medicinal Marijuana

On April 2 Gov. Bill Richardson signed a bill making New Mexico the 12th State in the United States of America to have a bill to protect medically ill patients from prosecution on marijuana use. Rep. Tom Huntley, lead sponsor of the House medical marijuana bill said, "I applaud New Mexico's elected leaders for listening to their constituents – and the facts – and protecting vulnerable New Mexicans from arrest and prison for using their doctor-recommended medicine."

New Mexico joins Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington as States with medicinal marijuana bills.

Congratulations New Mexico, welcome to the future. Hopefully more States join the fray and tell the federal government to approach marijuana with a more mature attitude, one that puts the people before the government based biases.

Drug Running Tax Deductable

A Dutch court ruled that the cost of drug running is a valid cost of doing business to deduct from your income tax. Tax Services claims they will be taking it to a higher court to appeal the decison though so we shall see how things go from there.

Read the London Free Press story

Judge Wants Pot Given to Prisoner

Grant Krieger was sentenced to four months in jail, but the Judge ruled that he should continue to have access to marijuana and suspended the sentence until corrections officers could find a way to get the pot to Krieger.

Read the CBC story

New Mexico Makes Another Step in the Right Direction

New Mexico legislature gave the ok the second time around for a bill permitting the use of medicinal marijuana according to The Santa Fe New Mexican. The bill calls for the department of health to set up a system of dispensing marijuana to licensed users by October 1st, it also calls for a photo ID for those who are approved for the use of marijuana.

Regina Man Opens Inhalation Room

According to the CBC a Regina man who both owns a hemp store and has a license for medicinal marijuana has opened up an inhalation room in his shop.

Dean Foster suffers from fibromyalgia and has been granted a license to use marijuana to ease his pain. On top of this he is also the owner of Foster's Field of Dreams hemp shop. After checking with local authorities and finding no reason not to he constructed a room for licensed users of marijuana to toke up in his shop. Users of the inhalation room will not be sparking up, but rather have access to an inhaler or vaporizer.

Best of luck Dean, hopefully the Regina PD knows enough to not try and bust you for this.

Vermont Makes Another Step in the Right Direction

According to WCAX Vermont is poised to make a step in the right direction with their marijuana laws in a preliminary vote to expand the medicinal marijuana laws of that state. According to the article the laws which currently permits "people with cancer, AIDS or multiple sclerosis to use marijuana to relieve some of the symptoms of their condition" would be altered to allow anyone with a "debilitating" disease.

Keep up the good work Vermont, its a small step in the right direction. Next listen to those people advocating decriminalization, you might find they are not as crazy as you first assumed.