Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Could ‘Absolutely’ Pass Full Legislature If GOP Senate Allows A Vote, Sponsor Says

A Minnesota marijuana legalization bill is due for a vote in the House of Representatives this week, and the sponsor of the legislation is optimistic that it could pass the entire legislature – if only the GOP-controlled Senate allowed one vote on it.

That move, tabled by House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (D), spokeswoman Melissa Hortman (D), and other lawmakers, has gone through a dozen committees since February. It would allow adults 21 and older to buy and own up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and grow up to eight plants, four of which could be mature.

Despite progress through 12 House panels, doubts remained about the Senate outlook. But Winkler said in an interview on Sunday that if the Republican leadership voted in the chamber, “it absolutely could happen.”

“Support for the legalization of cannabis for recreational or personal use, to ensure we have a safe, regulated market, and to ensure that we clear criminal records for people who have been wrongly attacked for cannabis law enforcement in the past We are creating a marketplace that reflects Minnesota’s values ​​- all of these things are our priorities in this bill, and they are priorities for Minnesotans of all political beliefs, “said Winkler.

Urged on whether legislation could advance through the Republican-led Senate as it progresses through the House, the chairman said it could “absolutely pass,” citing public polls on the matter and the fact that voters in South Dakota approved a legalization initiative last year.

“It cuts across both parties,” said Winkler. “I see no reason why it wouldn’t happen to both Houses if the Senate vote could take place.”

However, one provision of the Legalization Act that the Head of State does not want to relinquish concerns the expulsion of persons with previous convictions for cannabis.

Convictions for non-violent cannabis offenses lead people into a cycle of poverty that cuts them off from homes and jobs.

Because of this, eradicating existing cannabis crimes is a non-negotiable part of our legalization bill. This is an economic and criminal issue.

– Ryan Winkler (@_RyanWinkler) May 10, 2021

In a tweet on Monday, he said that “deleting existing cannabis offenses is a non-negotiable part of our legalization law” and that “it is an economic and criminal issue”.

While Republican support in both houses remains an open issue, the proposal has won the support of several GOP members as it went through an extensive committee process.

This is despite the fact that Republicans have generally signaled that they are more interested in revising the state’s existing medical cannabis program than enacting legalization of adult use.

However, a GOP member of the House Taxes Committee, which last week approved the broader legalization bill, said he believed that an amendment he introduced, which was passed, could bolster Republican support.

This revision by Rep. Pat Garofolo (R) transfers remaining cannabis revenues to a tax break account after implementation costs are covered and drug abuse treatment and prevention programs funded.

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Before the Tax Committee, the bill passed the Health Financing and Policy Committee, the Public Security and Criminal Law Reform Committee, the Financial Financing and Policy Committee, the Education Financing Committee, the State Government Finances and Elections Committee, the Judicial Funding and Civil Law Committee , the Environmental and Resource Resources Committee and Political Committee, Agricultural Finance and Policy Committee, Labor and Business Development Committee on Finance and Policy, Labor, Industrial, Veteran and Military Affairs, Finance and Policy Committee, and Trade Finance and Policy Committee.

The litany of committees the bill has gone through makes moving through a state assembly perhaps the most thoroughly vetted legalization measure – and this means that an integral part of the house has already had the opportunity to review the law, propose changes and Voting legislation on it, if it advances to the ground, presumably increases its chances of passage in the Chamber.

The majority leader’s introduced bill was identical to a proposal he tabled last year, with a few minor technical changes. Winkler, who chaired a nationwide hearing to collect public contributions before the measure was introduced, called it the “best law in the country to legalize” at the time. However, at this meeting there was no progress.

According to the legislation, social justice would be prioritized, including by ensuring multiple licensing and preventing corporate actors from monopolizing the market. Previous marijuana records would also be automatically deleted.

On-site consumption and cannabis delivery services would be allowed under the bill. And unlike in many constitutional states, municipalities would be prohibited from banning marijuana companies from operating in their areas.

Retail cannabis sales would be taxed at 10 percent. Part of this revenue would finance a grant program to promote economic development and the stability of the Community.

The bill provides for the establishment of a seven-member cannabis board of directors responsible for regulating the market and granting licenses for the cannabis business. It was changed in committee month to include members on this board with a background in social justice.

People living in low-income areas and military veterans who have lost their honorary status due to a cannabis-related crime are considered social justice applicants for priority licensing.

Retail cannabis sales would begin on December 31, 2022.

Governor Tim Walz (D) is also in favor of ending the marijuana ban and in January called on lawmakers to continue reform to stimulate the economy and promote racial justice. However, it did not include a request for legalization through its budget proposal.

Walz said in 2019 that he directed state authorities to prepare to implement the reform in anticipation of the legalization being passed.

Meanwhile, Winkler said in December that if Senate Republicans don’t legally go along with the change in law, he hopes they will at least let voters decide on cannabis as an electoral measure for 2022.

On the way to the 2020 election, Democrats believed they had a chance to take control of the Senate, but that didn’t happen. The result appears to be due in part to the fact that candidates from marijuana-focused parties have received a significant percentage of votes that might otherwise have gone to Democrats, potentially inadvertently affecting the chances of reform.

In December, the Minnesota House Select Racial Justice Committee adopted a report detailing racial differences in law enforcement and recommending a number of policy changes, including the decriminalization and expulsion of marijuana.

The head of the federal drug agency says it’s time to think about decriminalization

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