Advocates Of Medical Marijuana Continue To Ask Gov. To Reconsider
ST. PAUL (WCCO) -- Advocates of medical marijuana aren't giving up at the State Capitol, despite opposition from Gov. Mark Dayton.
A bill to legalize medical marijuana is stalled at the legislature, but supporters -- including mothers of sick children -- are asking the governor to reconsider.
On Thursday, they delivered petitions to the governor's office containing about 5,000 signatures, asking the governor to support a bill legalizing widespread access to specialized marijuana for medicinal use.
One St Louis Park woman, Kendra Miller, came to the Capitol even though she said she was very sick, with Crohn's disease.
"There are people who are dying right now. There are children who are continuing to suffer from seizures that can prove fatal when one of them happens," Miller said. "We are begging and pleading Governor Dayton to continue reconsidering to please move forward. We need it. People are dying."
Dayton says he's sympathetic to patients, but says there are too many questions about the benefits and problems with medical marijuana to approve it for 5 million Minnesotans. He's offered to finance a clinical study with the Mayo Clinic to measure the medical benefits of medical marijuana pills on children.