Medical marijuana gets day on Senate floor

The push to legalize medical marijuana looked dead at the Minnesota Capitol not long ago. Now it's headed for a possible floor vote in the Senate.

Senators on Tuesday will debate a proposal that would let approved patients buy medical pot in the state.

Patients who suffer from maladies including epilepsy, cancer and glaucoma could take the marijuana in pill or oil form or by inhaling its vapors using a machine.

Neither the Senate nor House bills would allow patients to smoke the drug.

Of 21 states and the District of Columbia that have passed medical marijuana laws, Minnesota would be the only one banning smoking the plant.

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