Allowing some people to use marijuana for medical purposes won’t prompt a rash of drug crimes. In fact, if states such as Washington are examples, it could do just the opposite in Minnesota.

At least that’s what the former police chief of Seattle suggested to a Minnesota House committee Tuesday.

Former Chief Norm Stamper noted that overall crime, including marijuana-related violations, is down significantly in Washington. So, what would he say if asked how its legalization is faring there?

“My one-word response would be ‘well,’ ” Stamper said. “My two-word response would be ‘very well.’ ”

Stamper endorsed a House bill that would legalize the use of marijuana for people with chronic and debilitating illnesses. Sponsored by state Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, the bill passed the Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee on a 9-6 vote and was sent to a finance committee. A similar bill is moving through the state Senate.

Stamper conceded the idea of less crime and legalized medical marijuana sounds counterintuitive.

“The theory is that we have now made a medicine out of what formerly was an illicit drug,” said Stamper, adding, “It has removed the mystique.”

Opposition in Washington state from law-enforcement officials “has been eliminated or neutralized,” he added.

But not in Minnesota. At least at the hearing.

Representatives from state and local police organizations, including Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion, spoke against the bill, even piling large bags of marijuana on a table to demonstrate how much they said someone could possess under the proposal.

They argued the bill was misguided, wasn’t sufficiently restrictive and would help feed America’s appetite for illegal drugs.

State Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, who is police chief of Lake Crystal, even contended Stamper showed too much support for the medical profession — at the expense of police in the hearing room.

“They’re not taking the risks — we are,” said Cornish, who wore a bright yellow tie that said, “Police Line, Do Not Cross.”

Saying that wasn’t his intent, Stamper said he believes any solution in Minnesota must include law-enforcement representatives. He testified that Minnesota’s proposal is more restrictive and allows less marijuana in possession than the guidelines approved by Washington voters in 1998.

“We have a lot more medical marijuana patients than you can anticipate here,” Stamper said.

Dennis Lien can be reached at 651-228-5588.