Minn. House takes historic vote on marijuana legalization today

A proposal to legalize marijuana for adults is up for a vote in the Minnesota House for the first time in state history.

The measure is expected to pass in the DFL-led chamber on Thursday and has the backing of Gov. Tim Walz. It faces long odds in the Senate, where Republicans in control have said it is not a priority this session.

But supporters say the historic vote marks shifting attitudes toward marijuana in Minnesota and across the nation, where 15 states have already voted to legalize the drug and are generating new tax revenue.

Minnesota's proposal allows adults 21 and older to buy and possess marijuana, while spelling out safety requirements and setting up a marketplace to sell it. It dedicates funding to youth access prevention and substance abuse treatment programs.

The centerpiece of the bill are racial equity provisions that supporters say will begin to address the disproportionate toll marijuana policing has taken on communities of color. Black people are more than five times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession in Minnesota, despite comparable usage rates, according to a 2020 report from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The bill would automatically expunge low-level marijuana convictions and create a special board to review others.

Opponents to legalization testified in committee hearings that they feared unsafe highways, increased substance-abuse problems and confusion over how to handle people who are high in the workplace.

Currently, Minnesota only allows marijuana for certain medical conditions and its program is one of the of the strictest in the nation, prohibiting enrollees from smoking the raw cannabis flower.

A 2020 Star Tribune/MPR News Minnesota Poll found that 51% of registered Minnesota voters support legalizing the drug.

Thursday's vote is culmination of 15 meetings in communities across the state, consultation with 13 state agencies, multiple working groups and roughly 16 hours of debate in a dozen House committee hearings this session.

There is growing support for full legalization among Minnesota Democrats. Attorney General Keith Ellison tweeted his backing of legalization, citing racial disparities in marijuana policing, and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips sent a letter House leaders on Wednesday in support of the bill.

Several Republican legislators voted in favor of legalization as the proposal made its way through House committees. Voters in conservative states like South Dakota backed legalization with 54% of the vote in November, although its facing a challenge in the courts.

The vote is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. This is a developing story.

Briana Bierschbach • 651-925-5042

Twitter: @bbierschbach