Why does Minnesota need a medical marijuana law?
Although Minnesota created the THC Therapeutic Research Act in 1980 — a program that recognized the medical value and allowed for the medical use of THC, one of marijuana’s many therapeutically active compounds — the program was never operational. Currently, Minnesota treats people who are suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other serious illnesses as criminals, simply for using the medicine that relieves their pain, allows them to eat, or otherwise helps them live normal lives. Illustrating the risks that medical marijuana patients face in Minnesota, Jerome Schaeffer, a 63-year-old veteran and retired machinist from Vadnais Heights, was arrested for marijuana possession shortly after leaving a hospital for complications associated with chemotherapy treatments for cancer. Police placed handcuffs over Schaeffer’s hospital ID bracelet, and he spent a night in jail. Patients like Jerome are forced to live in fear because Minnesota subjects them to criminal penalties for using m
