7/30/18

DFL gubernatorial candidates support legal cannabis for all adults

If elected governor Minnesota DFLer Erin Murphy would work to move the state to single-payer healthcare, legalize cannabis and raise revenue to pay for infrastructure.
"Minnesotans are ahead of policymakers on this question," she said. "They are ready to make this move and if the Legislature puts it on my desk, I will sign it into law." [MPR]
Tim Walz is also running for governor. He supports legal cannabis for all adults, too. Their primary is 14 August.

People suffering from autism and obstructive sleep apnea in Minnesota are able to seek relief in that state with therapeutic cannabis enrolling this month then picking up their medication on the first of August.

Al Franken has promised to bone up on cannabis law as Minnesota considers even more liberal policy.
Now, the senator is on a bit of a marijuana bill cosponsorship spree, and some observers think it's good politics -- in addition to good policy -- at a time when Franken's name is being floated as a possible 2020 presidential candidate. [Forbes]
Franken is expected to recover from his tribulations and become the Democratic Party frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Both Minnesota and North Dakota are expected to legalize for all adults.

In 2016 North Dakota voters passed Measure 5 legalizing cannabis for some patients and last year the legislature drafted rules then a Republican governor signed it into law. US Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) has joined Colorado's congressional delegation in the effort to ensure state cannabis policies are respected by the feds. The North Dakota Department of Health has begun accepting applications for operators of therapeutic cannabis dispensaries. Grassroots Cannabis in Fargo and Pure Dakota LLC in Bismarck have applied.

But, North Dakota's repressive neighbor to the south is among the states hit hardest by opioid abuse and hopelessness. Even the South Dakota State Medical Association contends that although "marijuana and dronabinol decreased pain" the fact that it is illegal makes it less effective as a therapy.

The South Dakota Republican Party has even adopted a platform that punishes people seeking relief from intractable pain and suffering. The earth hater nominee for attorney general, suspected incel Jason Ravnsborg, wants to build prisons to warehouse meth addicts and the mentally ill.

The newly-released platform and resolutions adopted by the South Dakota Democratic Party at their state convention make no mention of cannabis but they do adopt language that explores the cultivation of dicamba-resistant and Roundup-Ready hemp. Why anyone would want to buy genetically modified hemp seed from Bayer CropScience/Monsanto or some other earth hater every year remains a mystery.

The good news is that after buggering state law they have the opportunity to reconvene and address their mistakes.

Alcohol use goes down in states where cannabis is available legally while Big Pharma capitalizes on cannabis for the treatment of epilepsy.
Last month’s vote in Oklahoma to legalize medical marijuana caught a lot of people by surprise. Who knew such a deeply red state would embrace cannabis in a 57% landslide? [Red States Are Embracing Cannabis Legalization, Expanding Access]
In a related story, South Dakota's young adults are becoming increasingly depressed because of frustration with an extremist legislature bent on ending civil liberties.

Black market cannabis not tested or subject to inspection makes America less safe. Democrats in blue states already understand the added value of talking legal cannabis during their campaigns and some red state Democrats get it, too; but so far this election cycle South Dakota Democrats believe that state is just too fragile for cannabis rights.

Legalizing and regulating a product that so many people enjoy is reasonable public policy aligned with life/safety concerns.


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