Thanks to the Albert Lea Tribune for its stellar reporting of the Minnesota medical marijuana issue — the biggest Minnesota controversy of the “Unsession.” Friday’s paper reported: “Minnesota lawmakers strike a deal on medical marijuana.”

First, it’s not a “deal.” It’s a compromise, and it compromises the well being of thousands of Minnesotans who could benefit from legal access to cannabis.

If you’re going to hang with Gov. Mark Dayton because he’s a Democrat and you don’t want to “rock the boat,” get the hell away from me. The guy is an idiot, and he’s pandering to the interests of big business and using law enforcement to play on your old fears as an excuse. He’s screwed the majority of people in Minnesota who would rather use cannabis as a natural remedy, than all of the dangerous and poisonous drugs legally prescribed by a physician.

“Medical” cannabis will never work in Minnesota, because the power entities like Mayo Clinic, Medtronic and 3M have way more money than we do to prove that it just isn’t effective without studies — studies that will make refining the chemicals in the cannabis plant more profitable. That’s why this natural medicine is being kept from the people.

As long as the interests of big business are allowed to be the impetus for lawmaking in Minnesota, the citizens of our state are nothing but paeans — “voters” who legitimize criminals.

When the people of our state see clearly all of the lies associated with this and understand that they have as much right to work with a plant as any corporation, we can start having a real conversation about legalization and the fact that it should never have been taken from us in the first place. Our state flag should show a picture of Minnesota with a great big Dayton’s (or Target) sign hanging over it.

It’s not a drug. It’s a plant! We should be able to grow it in our own backyard.

Just to be clear. This is not a new issue for me, and I’m not piling on because of the successes in other states. As an AIDS patient for 33 years, the benefits of cannabis in many areas of human health have been available to me for ages. I’ve been taking Marinol for over 12 years. Marinol is a synthetically derived form of THC, which costs over $1,000 a month. That’s why the plant is illegal.

 

Douglas A. Houge

Albert Lea