A bill to legalize medical marijuana is on hold at the Capitol, and supporters say they will push for Gov. Mark Dayton to change his tune on the issue.
Dayton has said a compromise with law enforcement officials is critical to winning his support.
But the bill's chief sponsor in the state House of Representatives -- Rep. Carly Melin, DFL-Hibbing -- said Tuesday that the negotiations have deadlocked.
"We had offered them a number of concessions," Melin said in an interview. "They still rejected the proposal, so I just don't know where to go from here."
Melin's bill would make medical marijuana available to some patients so long as doctors certified they might benefit. It was scheduled for a hearing at the Capitol on Tuesday, but Melin asked for a postponement.
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To win support from law enforcement representatives, Melin said she offered to remove provisions that would allow some patients to grow up to six marijuana plants in their home. She also offered to remove an option for patients to smoke medical marijuana, Melin said, and narrow the definition of which patients might be eligible.
But law enforcement officials wouldn't support the bill even with the changes, Melin said. Representatives from law enforcement groups could not immediately be reached for comment.
"I'm not going to keep banging my head against the wall," Melin said in an interview. "I think it's time for the public and patients to ask the governor to change his position, or provide some movement."
The issue isn't dead this year at the Capitol, said Heather Azzi, spokeswoman for Minnesotans for Compassionate Care, which has backed the bill. Azzi wrote in an email: "The governor has been letting law enforcement do his job on this issue for too long now already."
Dayton officials said they were developing a statement in response to Tuesday's developments.
About 20 states allow patients to use medical marijuana. In almost all cases, legalization came from constitutional amendments, Melin said, rather than through legislative action.
But Melin said she doesn't currently support the idea of asking voters to ratify a constitutional amendment.
"That's not a route that I want to go," she said. "Politicians should have the courage to take a vote on something. ... I don't know if there will be a constitutional amendment, but I'm not bringing one forward at this time."
