Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize marijuana for adults on Saturday, May 20, when senators voted to support a measure that will legalize the recreational use of cannabis for anyone over 21.
The bill has passed the House and will soon be sent to Democratic Governor Tim Walz, who has promised to sign it into law.
Promoting Public Health and Safety
The bill's proponents said that it would promote public health and safety and advance social fairness, while its detractors claimed it would have the opposite effect.
Possession, usage, and cultivation of marijuana for personal use would be decriminalized starting on August 1. It would likely take at least a year for retail sales to begin at dispensaries, as reported by CBS News.
Possession of cannabis flower is restricted to 2 pounds at home and 2 ounces in public, and there is an additional 10% tax on cannabis goods on top of current sales taxes. Other limitations include no more than 800mg of THC in candies or other sweets or 8g of cannabis concentrate.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension estimates that it will take until August of next year to complete all of the requests to delete the records of Minnesotans who have been convicted of misdemeanor or petty misdemeanor possession.
Criminal records might be wiped or penalties lowered for those whose only offense was selling marijuana or a more severe but nonviolent violation involving marijuana.
The number of dispensaries and their distance from schools would be subject to greater negotiation with local governments, although they may not be banned entirely.
Conflicting Viewpoints
However, Fergus Falls' own Republican state senator, Jordan Rasmusson, spoke out against the bill on the Senate floor on Saturday. The bill's proponents, according to him, have been motivated by a desire to mold a new business to suit their philosophy.
According to AP News, Rasmusson said the bill was motivated by corporate interests, gave "bonus points" to those with prior drug convictions, and failed to sufficiently address law enforcement concerns regarding possession limitations.
Burnsville Democrat Lindsey Port replied that legalizing and regulating marijuana would safeguard children from the destructive impacts of the black market, eliminate threats to public health and safety, and reinvest in areas hurt by earlier marijuana policies.
"Minnesotans are ready. Let's legalize, regulate and expunge," Port stated.
This measure was approved on a party-line vote of 34 to 32.
Opinion Polls on Marijuana Use
The public's view of marijuana usage seems to be shifting as the legalization of recreational use spreads.
The majority of respondents (53%) to an April CBS News survey considered open marijuana use acceptable in society. In the same survey, 64% of voters say recreational marijuana usage should be allowed in their state.
Quest Diagnostics, a medical lab, presented the findings of their yearly review of workplace drug testing data this week. They discovered that the proportion of general US workers testing positive for cannabis in 2022 was the highest level ever recorded by Quest since they started tracking such data in 1988.
Quest reported that 4.3% of over 6,000,000 urine tests in the last year tested positive for cannabis.
