Legalizing Weed: 4 Quotes From Lawmakers After Medical Marijuana Became Legal in Minnesota

Minnesota’s marijuana decriminalization took place in the 1970s, before legalizing medical marijuana began to take center stage. Lawmakers would like to see weed moved beyond decriminalization, with many making the case for current medical marijuana laws to be expanded.

The state’s law, passed in 2014, is considered some of the most restrictive in the country with a minimal number of patients qualified to take medical marijuana.

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Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been very vocal in their thoughts on the state’s effort to legalize weed.

1. Earlier this year, the Legislature looked at expanding the availability of medical marijuana to patients in chronic pain. But time ran out before a bill was ironed out, angering some. As a result, no changes will be made until 2016 for those currently ineligible for the program, reported the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

"I don't see why we need to wait that long," said Sen. Branden Petersen, an Andover Republican. "If we acted this session, we could do something that would serve the interests of those patients a lot sooner."

2. In 2014, the action to allow medical marijuana was applauded, according to Northfield News.

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“This year, Minnesota took an important step toward improving the quality of life of people with serious and terminal medical conditions like cancer, HIV/AIDS and seizure disorders,” said Rep. David Bly,DFL-Northfield. “We forged a strong bipartisan compromise that provides relief to suffering children and adults while addressing concerns of law enforcement and the medical community.”

3. "This is not about moving down the path to recreational use," said state Sen. Scott Dibble, a sponsor of the 2014 limited legalization, Reuters reported. "This is about getting something into the hands of people who now lack it, who have no other available options that are any good at all."

4. In order to get medical marijuana passed, compromises were made, FOX9.com reported.

"Part of the compromise was that we took smoking of marijuana completely out of the bill. We actually penalized any smoking of medical marijuana by patients, which is a huge step to take," said Rep. Carly Melin, assistant majority leader and the chief sponsor of the bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives. "I mean, there are 20 states with medical marijuana in this country and not one of them outlaws smoking or punished the patient for smoking marijuana. We were willing to do that."

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