The bill would allow children and certain adults with severe illnesses -- more restrictive than a different proposal that has stalled in the House -- to ingest and vaporize marijuana as part of clinical trials. The Senate version, which has been moving with more force, is more permissive. The proposals will travel in earnest on Friday into next week.

When the House budget target for health and human services was released last month, it was greeted with cries of disbelief. Given that the DFL-controlled Legislature planned to increase taxes by roughly $2 billion, the common refrain went, how was it possible that they planned to cut $150 million in cuts to health and human services?