| Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis), the chief sponsor of a medical marijuana, speaking with reporters. |
The Minnesota Senate approved a bill yesterday afternoon that legalizes marijuana for medical use but limits ingestion to pills, oil, and vaporizing. It made it across the finish line with enough votes to overcome a veto by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton — 48 to 18 — following a five-hour debate that produced some of the most bizarre statements uttered this session.
The biggest pushback came from Sen. Bill “I’m so against this bill” Igebrigtsen (R-Alexandria), who opened up his remarks by saying the state should be more concerned with pot holes than pot. What followed was a series of statements, similar to those he laid out in a recent letter, about how medical marijuana was a grave step towards all-out blazing in the streets.
Fearmongering eventually gave way to nonsequitur. Alcohol and cigarettes are already legal, he reminded no one. “Why in the world would anybody vote to bring in a third killer? Think about that.”
Ingebrigtsen went so far as to force several fellow senators to say whether they had spoken with their local sheriffs, who are opposed to the legislation. He also insinuated that the bill’s author, Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis), was a know-it-all who skirted his questions.
To which Dibble responded: “I’ve been answering the questions. Maybe I haven’t been giving the answers that Sen. Ingebrigtsen likes.”
A flabbergasted Sen. Branden Petersen (R-Andover) described Ingebrigsten’s mental-process as a “logical fallacy bingo board,” then cautioned against insulting the intelligence of his colleagues.
As for the bill, Petersen, who’s a sponsor, boiled down the debate to a simple question: “Do you believe that health care decisions are best made between doctors and patients?”
(Yes, yes they are.)
For more, head over to the Minneapolis City Pages.