Bare majority of Minnesotans favor medical marijuana law

As Minnesota lawmakers draft legislation that would legalize doctor-prescribed marijuana, a poll indicates a slim majority favor such a move. Fifty-one percent of Minnesotans support legalization of marijuana for medicinal uses while 41 percent oppose a change, results of a Minneapolis Star Tribune Minnesota poll reported Tuesday indicated. Twenty states and the District of Columbia allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for medical conditions ranging from cancer to post-traumatic stress disorder. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing for Minnesota to consider allowing marijuana use for medical purposes when the Legislature returns to St. Paul later this month. Opponents of legalization, including nearly every major law enforcement group in the state, said they fear greater access to marijuana will harm more people than help, the Star Tribune said. The poll also found that 63 percent of Minnesotans said they oppose legalizing marijuana for recreational use while 30 percent said the state should follow the lead of Colorado and Washington, which legalized marijuana for recreational use under certain conditions. Minnesota decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana years ago. Legislation proposed in the Minnesota House and Senate would legalize medical dispensaries, where patients could fill marijuana prescriptions if they didn't want to grow their marijuana at home, the Star Tribune said. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton has expressed reservations about legalizing medical marijuana as long as law enforcement groups oppose it. Results are based on a statewide phone survey of 800 adults conducted Feb. 10 and 12. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.