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Tim Pugmire
St. Paul, Minn.

Medical marijuana bill will move to House floor

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Illegal? Maybe not.
Marijuana is illegal under federal law, but some severely ill patients say smoking pot is the only way to relieve their symptoms. Minnesota would become the 13th state to approve the drug for medical use if the bill became law.
Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

A Minnesota House panel has approved a proposal allowing patients with cancer and other diseases to smoke marijuana under a doctor's prescription.

The 13-4 vote Wednesday by the House Ways and Means Committee means the medical marijuana bill's next stop is the House floor.

Medical marijuana
A worker weighs medicinal marijuana at the Alternative Herbal Health Services cannabis dispensary in San Francisco.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Supporters say marijuana is an important option for pain relief when other drugs don't work.

Tom Lehman of the group Minnesotans for Compassionate Care says the measure would allow patients and their physicians to make treatment decisions without fear of being busted under state drug laws.

"Patients and physicians should be allowed to make treatment decisions and obtain treatments that are medically appropriate. We shouldn't have politicians or cops that aren't licensed physicians, didn't go to medical school making medical decisions," said Lehman.

The Senate passed a similar bill last year, but Governor Pawlenty has said he would veto the measure. Twelve states allow the use of medical marijuana.

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Illegal? Maybe not.
Marijuana is illegal under federal law, but some severely ill patients say smoking pot is the only way to relieve their symptoms. Minnesota would become the 13th state to approve the drug for medical use if the bill became law.
Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images