In a letter to local newspapers Judy Soderstrom claims Lutheran paster and state representative Tim Faust (DFL-Hinckley) "wants to make marijuana even easier to get."
Faust defeated Soderstrom on his second try in 2006, after losing to her in 2004 by 76 votes.
In Faust opens door to dangerous drug, Soderstrom writes:
Marijuana is hurting our kids and Representative Faust wants to make it easier to get.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA released a study last week regarding drug use by our nation’s teenagers.
The report showed that, on a typical day in America, young people are more likely to smoke marijuana for the first time than they are to smoke tobacco cigarettes for the first time. . . .
A month ago a huge marijuana bust occurred near Hinckley where 5,500 marijuana plants, having a street value of $4 million, were found.
Even though more people use and abuse marijuana than any other drug in our country, with the exception of alcohol, Tim Faust, our state representative, wants to make marijuana even easier to get.
Faust is co-authoring a bill that will be heard next March which would open the door to marijuana use in Minnesota under the guise of “medical marijuana.” I would encourage Faust to read the article from SAMHSA titled “A Day In the Life of American Adolescents.”
After reading this, I would encourage him to change his mind about marijuana. Fifty-five hundred marijuana plants are a lot of plants, Rep. Faust. Do it for our young people.
Really, where does one begin with this? Soderstrom conflates regulated medical marijuana with 5500 plants seized in nearby Hinckley, while accusing Faust of promoting pot under the "guise" of "medical marijuana."
Faust lost his seat in the Republican wave in 2010, but regained it last year as the DFL took over both houses of the legislature. Given the swing nature of the district, Bluestem suspects that her letter may have more to do with the GOP's attempt to recycle an attack launched against Faust in 2009 than any dreams of pushing drugs on Faust's part.
On East Central Truth Detector the unnamed Republican caucus staffer wrote in Faust Flip-Flop Keeps Marijuana Bill From Going Up in Smoke:
This is not even a partisan issue, as there are prominent proponents and opponents to “medical” use of marijuana in both parties. The larger issue is whether core supporters of “medical marijuana” are using potential legalization of the “gateway drug” for medical use as a gateway for broader legal use down the road. The other issue, which I will get to in a bit, is whether a representative of a district that has had a high number of meth labs in recent years should treat the issue of “medical” marijuana as cavalierly as he did on May 11th in the Ways and Means Committee. . . .
The blogger tells how Faust changed his vote, then suggests that Faust isn't concerned about marijuana being a gateway drug to meth use.
Did accusing Faust of being soft on drugs work toward his defeat in 2010? Or is Soderstrom simply hopelessly confused about prescription pot?
Photo: Former state rep Judy Soderstrom, who's got a little reefer madness issue.
If you enjoyed reading this post, consider giving a donation via paypal:
Comments