Medical marijuana bill clears first legislative test

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota House committee has approved a plan that would legalize medical marijuana,

but it still faces a long road in the Legislature.

Members of the Health and Human Services Policy Committee advanced the bill Tuesday evening after listening to mothers testify about how their children suffered up to 100 seizures a day before receiving marijuana treatment.  Rochester Democrat Tina Liebling chairs the committee.

Law enforcement organizations have formed an informal coalition that issued a list of requirements for the proposal, including that the drug must come only in pill, liquid or vapor form.

Law-enforcement opposition in 2009 was a chief reason why then-Governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed a similar bill passed by lawmakers. Governor Mark Dayton also has aligned himself with law enforcement on the current bill.

The bill now moves to a House government operations committee.