It’s hard to imagine that anyone in Minnesota still believes that the cops are a credible source of information regarding SF 97 and HF 292 — the state’s pending medical marijuana measures.

After all, it was only a few weeks ago when state lawmakers and the local media ‘outed’ law enforcement for continually lying about the bills during their public testimony.

Nevertheless, in the interest of ‘balance’ (and I use that term euphemistically here), state newspapers apparently feel the need to give these tainted folks a platform to spew their lies and propaganda — even though it appears that no one aside from Gov. Tim Pawlenty is listening.

Of course, it’s arguable that by giving law enforcement a forum, editors are actually, if inadvertently, promoting marijuana law reform. After all, the prejudice, fabrications, and misplaced logic exhibited by those who favor prohibition clearly does more to undermine the policy than NORML could ever hope to.

A case in point. Writing in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, local sheriff Richard Stanek goes off on a tirade about marijuana. But if one reads between the lines, it becomes readily obvious (to anyone but the sheriff), that his gripe is really with cannabis prohibition.

Lighten up on marijuana?
By RICHARD W. STANEK

… The connection between marijuana and violent crime should not be underestimated. The violence related to marijuana isn’t a result of the effects on the user but rather stems from the money people can make selling and growing the drug. Violence is part of the trade. By legalizing marijuana-growing operations and drug traffic, we would invite violence into our communities.

… We should never lose focus on the immediate connection between guns, gangs, kids and drugs — and marijuana is frequently the connection. I have been in law enforcement for 25 years and have seen this firsthand. When I was captain of the Criminal Investigations Division with the Minneapolis Police Department, we investigated a case involving a man from out-of-state who tried to buy marijuana for personal use. He unwittingly approached a gang-connected dealer. The man was shot and killed so gang members could keep his money and the marijuana.

Read about any gang-related violence surrounding the sale of alcohol lately? How about vicodin or paxil? Didn’t think so. The irony, of course, is that the very ramifications that Sheriff Stanek claims to lament are, in fact, direct consequences of the public policy he reflexively endorses.

Of course, Sheriff Stanek isn’t alone is his twisted thinking (another euphemism). In a pro/con piece published today in the Rochester Post-Bulletin, Dennis J. Flaherty, executive director and chief lobbyist of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, also predictably plays the ‘violence’ card (among others).

The facts are that marijuana is a drug that is associated with violent crimes such as robberies and assaults. Many have and will resort to almost anything to get their hands on it.

And here I thought cops believed that pot smoking made people unmotivated.

The cop lobbyist goes on to make a number of other false accusations as well. You are free to read them here. (Have a strong anti-emetic handy.)

Fortunately, despite this deluge of deliberately false information, most Minnesota politicians — former sheriff and current Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen notwithstanding — are voting on the side of truth. Will Gov. Pawlenty do likewise? If you live in Minnesota, now might be a good time to ask him.

PS: Think that Minnesota is the only state whose cops blatently lie about medical marijuana? Think again!

Over the past 24 hours, several state legislatures have taken steps to enact medical marijuana legislation or improve upon existing law. Here is a summary of this latest progress.

New Hampshire: The Senate voted 14 to 10 today in favor of HB 648, which would allow qualified patients to possess up to two ounces of cannabis and/or six plants for medical purposes. Because the Senate made minor amendments to the proposal, it must be re-approved by the House before going to Gov. John Lynch – who has expressed reservations about the measure. Starting tomorrow, our allies NH Compassion will begin airing television ads asking for the Governor to support HB 648. If you live in New Hampshire, you can write or call Gov. Lynch here.

Minnesota: Also today, members of the State Senate gave preliminary approval to Senate File 97, an act to exempt qualified medical cannabis patients from state arrest and prosecution. The Senate is expected to give final passage to the bill imminently. A companion bill, House File 292, is also expected to be before the House floor shortly. If you live in Minnesota, please support this campaign by contacting your state representative and especially Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Additional information is available from Minnesota Cares here.

Rhode Island: Members of the Rhode Island Senate voted 35 to 2 today in favor of SB 185, an act to allow for the distribution of medical cannabis by state-licensed compassion centers. A companion bill, HB 5359, is pending in the House and is expected to be voted on shortly. UPDATE! Today the House Health, Education, and Welfare Committee voted 8-0 in favor of HB 5359. The bill now goes to the House floor. If you live in Rhode Island, please contact your House member and urge him or her to follow the Senate’s lead and support HB 5359. Even if the both chambers ultimately approve this effort, it is likely that the legislature will need to override the Governor’s veto before this measure can become state law. That means that every vote counts. For more information about this campaign, please visit the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition here.

Pennsylvania: Finally, NORML is thrilled to announce that Rep. Mark Cohen (D-Philadelphia), along with six co-sponsors, introduced legislation today to make Pennsylvania the fourteenth state to legalize the physician-supervised use of cannabis. As introduced — House Bill 1393, The Barry Busch Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act of 2009 — would allow state-authorized patients to possess and cultivate cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The measure also seeks to allow for the state-licensed distribution and sale of medical marijuana by authorized ‘compassion centers. For several months, Philly NORML has worked behind the scenes with Rep. Cohen’s staff to draft this important legislation, which you can read about here. If you live in Pennsylvania, you can support this effort by going here.

To learn about additional medical marijuana law reform legislation in Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Texas, please visit NORML’s Legislative Action Alerts page here.