| Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and a bud of marijuana that legal Minnesota patients will never be able to access. |
In a press release sent our way by an MNGOP-affiliated source, the D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project PAC pledges to make a maximum financial contribution of $4,000 to Jeff Johnson’s gubernatorial campaign. But lest you think the nation’s largest marijuana policy organization is some sort of surprisingly right-leaning group, the release also notes that the PAC plans to give a matching contribution to the Senate DFL PAC. Take that, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton!
The beef, of course, has to do with Dayton’s initial reluctance to support any sort of medical marijuana bill during this year’s legislative session. And though he did ultimately sign off on one, it didn’t go as far as the legislation supported by Johnson and the DFL-controlled Senate.
From the release:
The medical marijuana proposal supported by Johnson and a bipartisan Senate coalition would have protected an estimated 30,000 seriously ill Minnesotans, according to a fiscal analysis prepared by the state. Gov. Dayton refused to sign such a bill and insisted on a restrictive program that will only help an estimated 5,000 patients. The governor’s resistance also resulted in the law prohibiting the use of marijuana in its natural form, requiring patients to use oils or extracts that will be produced by just two manufacturers for the entire state. Some patients have said they will not sign up for the program because whole plant cannabis is the most effective form of treatment for their conditions.
