Although the medical marijuana bill has stalled at the Minnesota Legislature, state representatives could face a vote on the drug later this session.

Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, wants to place the issue in an overall health bill as an amendment. Originally scheduled for debate Wednesday, the health bill was postponed by House leaders.

A medical marijuana bill by Rep. Carly Melin, D-Hibbing, is stuck in a committee, and Gov. Mark Dayton opposes it until law enforcement and medical groups support the concept.

“Support for effective medical marijuana legislation clearly spans the political spectrum,” said Heather Azzi of Minnesotans for Compassionate Care. “It is time to move forward with this compassionate and common-sense proposal. Seriously ill Minnesotans and their families have waited long enough.”

Medical marijuana supporters say it can help ease the pain of seriously ill patients and prevent seizures in children with certain diseases.

Opponents say that marijuana has not been studied as medicines have and that using it can be a gateway to using harder drugs. The federal government outlaws marijuana.

Dayton said he supports the concept but cannot back Melin’s bill until doctors and law enforcement officers remove their opposition. The governor has proposed an extensive medical study of marijuana by the Mayo Clinic and a separate study about how medical marijuana has worked in other states.

The Garofalo proposal differs from Melin’s in that he would ban smoking the drug and Minnesotans growing the plant. Marijuana extracts could be used as medicine.

Minnesotans could have up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana to deal with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, glaucoma and AIDS. A doctor or physician assistant would be required to authorize marijuana use.

Organizations wishing to grow marijuana would need state approval and to follow state regulations.

While legislators prepare for a possible marijuana vote, the Compassionate Care organization returned to the airwaves with television commercials featuring Patrick McClellan, a Bloomington man who suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy.

“I don’t understand why Governor Dayton is blocking a bill that would allow (medical marijuana) for people like me,” McClellan says in the commercial. “I am a patient, not a criminal. We deserve better; Minnesota deserves better.”

Dayton said Tuesday that lawmakers “have hidden behind their desks” and allowed him to take the brunt of criticism on the topic.

The governor urged legislators to take a vote on the issue.