Thomas Lofgren (DFL-20A)

Full legalization may take some years to be fully evaluated and implemented in Minnesota. More critically, medical cannabis laws need to be expanded to help patients get medication that can improve their quality of life. Recently, the Minnesota legislature passed a medical marijuana law that would allow a very limited number of individuals to get cannabis in a medical form. This law is far too restrictive in its implementation, completely neglecting chronic pain sufferers. Numerous studies have indicated that cannabis provides therapeutic pain management effects and that cannabis is safer and less addictive than many of the current prescription painkillers. The most pragmatic approach would be to expand cannabis access to any patient whose doctor deems the medication as the right treatment for their condition. Expansion of the permitted forms would also make access less cost prohibitive and more realistic for patients who are immobile.

HD20A

Minnesota House District 20A

VoterGuide2014 rating:

A - Fully Supports Legalization, incl. Industrial Hemp, Full Medical, and Amnesty for Marijuana offenders

VoterGuide2014 Analysis:

Believes the War on Drugs is a failure, prohibition does not work, and "Full legalization may take some years to be fully evaluated and implemented in Minnesota. More critically, medical cannabis laws need to be expanded to help patients get medication that can improve their quality of life." - http://thomaslofgren.us/issues/drug-policy/; MN NORML believes Lofgren is the best/most supportive candidate

VoterGuide2014 Questionnaire:

Q1:Do you believe cannabis prohibition does more harm than good, in terms of mass incarceration, collateral consequences of disenfranchisement, huge public financial costs, mis-prioritization and distraction of law enforcement away from preventing and solving public safety threats, i.e. property crimes and dangerous acts of violence, etc.? YES
Q2:Do you believe legalizing cannabis for personal use would help Minnesota's economy in terms of establishing a new industry here that creates thousands of jobs and generates millions of dollars in tax revenues, like the states of Colorado and Washington? YES
Q3:Do you believe cannabis has health benefits for a myriad of medical conditions and should be legally accessible to all Minnesotans as an alternative to more harmful and addictive pharmaceuticals, if recommended/prescribed by a medical professional? YES
Q4:Do you believe marijuana is safer than alcohol? YES
Q5:Do you support legalizing, regulating, and taxing cannabis for personal use by responsible adults over 21 years old, similar to how we treat beer and wine in Minnesota? YES
Q6:Do you support legalizing agricultural cannabis to allow Minnesota farmers to produce industrial hemp? (Similar to 2014 HF736/SF1590 or F2315/SF2266) YES
Q7:Do you support passage of an act allowing Minnesotans to vote to decide the issue of full legalization as a Constitutional Amendment question on the 2016 General Election ballot? YES
Q6:Do you support legalizing agricultural cannabis to allow Minnesota farmers to produce industrial hemp? (Similar to 2014 HF736/SF1590 or F2315/SF2266) Legalize and regulate: Both are important. Currently, more harm than good is done by the prohibition. Maybe we will need a lot of regulation, but locking people away from society for consuming a substance among dozens of legal ones that are more harmful, is madness. We need fewer people in prison. Legalizing cannabis for any use is a start.