Tim Pawlenty Is Against Medical Marijuana!

http://www.mpp.org/ Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty says he is against medical marijuana while speaking at the CATO Institute in Washington, D.C. on May 25, 2011.
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Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty announced his decision to run for President of the United States. This should have been cause for concern for marijuana reformers and medical marijuana patients, and today that concern was justified.

Gov. Pawlenty has been no friend to marijuana reform in the past. In 2009, he vetoed a bill that would have allowed only terminally ill Minnesotans to use marijuana to ease their pain in their final days. Even though this bill was narrowly tailored to address the concerns of law enforcement, Pawlenty vetoed it regardless, citing... further law enforcement concerns.

This is the same guy who supported a court decision that could have made possession of bong water a felony.

Given this disturbing behavior, and the damage that an anti-marijuana zealot in the White House could do to all the progress we have made in the last few years, we decided to find out if T-Paw still feels the same about the issue.

He does.

After speaking today at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. on such subjects as limited government, federal interference in health care, and saving taxpayer money, MPP's Bob Capecchi asked the former governor how he could justify vetoing the Minnesota medical marijuana bill, given his stances on these issues.

Pawlenty dodged these obvious inconsistencies completely, and deferred to his standard rhetoric.

"Marijuana? Yeah," Pawlenty said. "Well... I stood with law enforcement on this issue. We just have a respectful difference on this issue."

He also mentioned that law enforcement have pretty serious concerns about medical marijuana. Is one of those concerns losing the ability to waste taxpayer money arresting sick people? This difference of opinion doesn't seem respectful to seriously ill people, let alone to ideological consistency or integrity.

Marijuana reform could become a huge issue during the next presidential election. It is important that we keep putting pressure on candidates to clearly state their position on the issue, and to hold them accountable for that stance in the polls. We need to confront every candidate at every opportunity! Some of us are sure to get chances to question the candidates prior to the election, so let's use them!

Please send any video of candidates answering such questions to outreach@mpp.org.

To read more, please visit the MPP blog: http://bit.ly/jZicng

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[AllStarBugler]

Tim Pawlenty is a scumbag who is very likely going to repeal all medical marijuana and use the government database of all medical marijuana patients to throw them all in jail creating another boon for America's "for profit prison system".

DO NOT VOTE FOR THIS SCUMBAG!

[hurbangrower]

COP-OUT... LITERALLY. WHO THE FUCK GIVES A SHIT WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT BELIEVES. THEY ARE CORRUPT AS THE DAY IS LONG. 

[Marshal Dylan]

Tim Pawlenty is a pussy!!! The cops enforce the law NOT MAKE THE LAW! He needs a beating.

[Kaethe1224]

In a civilized society one would expect that our leaders would choose to support any means of easing the suffering of the ill, as well as helping its citizens to not end up imprisoned for such a benign activity as using Marijuanna. It is far beyond time to legalize it, tax it, and free those in prison for violating such stupid laws as the current ones regarding possession of marijuana.

[MEpianist]

Good riddance loser.

Pawlenty = failed loser who is completely irrelevant by 2013. Too bad he was too stupid to be forward-thinking and show actual leadership. Oh well.

[Sheila Slayton]

I WOULDNT VOTE 4 HIM< WE ALL HEARD HIM SAY ***ITS NOT SOMETHING THAT HE WOULD SUPPORT...Well then we dont support his ass either.

[SaturatedLivingTV]

Of course law enforcement is against weed. You think any business would want to stop doing a function they profit on? Sike. If production of ice cream was illegal you would see the same violence in that industry as you see in the drug trade.

[MrCannatopia]

"I stood with law enforcement (and against medical patients and doctors)... we just have a respectful disagreement on the issue (of civil rights and medical necessity for thousands of citizens across the State)..." ~ Tim Pawlenty

[marijuanagate2health]

Read: Marijuana Gateway to Health

Pawlenty should defer to medical professionals instead of cops! The California Medical Association endorses full legalization to protect citizens from the health hazards of being arrested for marijuana use.

[mardumer420]

after watching this me 2

[nosterberg7]

opportunistic libertarian. GOT YOU NO WHERE!

[Brian Higgins]

Moron.