The contrast between the Minnesota Senate's assertive approach to passing SF1641 a bill to legalize and regulate medical cannabis versus the capitulation of House companion bill (HF1818) Carly Melin (DFL-Hibbing) to law enforcement lobbyist grows stronger today.
The Senate will debate and vote on SF1641 when it returns from a recess, after the bill has
The House will be (via The Uptake's House Channel):
5:30 p.m. or 15 minutes after the House floor session adjourns, whichever is earlier – Joint meeting of the House Public Safety Finance and Policy, Civil Law and Government Operations committees
Agenda:
* Informational hearing only
* The joint committee will discuss SF2470 (Melin).
* The original bill language was replaced by the Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research Act.
So there's no debate or amending. At some point, Melin will likely share the sort of first-grade civics lesson she likes to use berate the public about the need to compromise--that is, when she and House DFL leadership are not actually sequestering people in a small room away from others.
In the House Ways and Means Committee this morning, Melin amended this "compromise" to acknowledge that only medical marijuana observational studies will be conducted. She cited the existance of medical marijuana observational studies from other countries and 20 states where medical cannabis is legal as reason for even more studies in Minnesota instead of doing what the Senate bill does.
Unlike the Senate author, Melin sat on HF1818 for a month before offering a "study" via a delete-all amendment for SF2470.
We have been informed via twitter by various DFL apologists that it is both an injustice and unfair to criticize Melin. While Bluestem is grateful to learn that they've shared the rules, we're not sure when anyone ceded them the right to pick the game and make the calls.
Photo: Senator Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls) is leading SF1641, a real bill that will legalize medical cannabis and create a system of up to 55 alternate treatment centers to deliver the highly-regulated substance to approved patients, on the floor today.
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