Minnesota Legislators Have Opposing Views on Marijuana Legalization

A committee in Minnesota will sort through the nearly 80 marijuana-related bills on the table. This vetting process will help determine which bills should receive a full hearing and which would fizzle out or aren’t ideal for the residents of Minnesota. The Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy will consist of 16 members.

The chair of the committee is State Senator Patricia Jehlen, according to Metro West Daily News. Jehlen supports legal recreational marijuana. The committee is made up of those on both sides of the argument – those for and against legal recreational marijuana.

Senator Jamie Eldridge wants the current laws to stay intact. Representative Hannah Kane is completely opposed to legal marijuana.

Eldridge said, “I will be opposed to any weakening of the referendum. What the law, and regulations around the new industry needs are measures built to ensure that black and Latino communities have a fair shot of participating in the industry.”

Kane’s main concerns are public health, commercialization and public safety. She wants communities to have the authority to decide whether they want recreational marijuana in their cities and towns.

Kane said, “While I fully believe we must adhere to the will of the voters, I also believe that we can fulfill the will of the voters and strengthen the public health and public safety protections and local control authority needed to properly launch this entirely new legal industry.”

Kane filed a dozen bills herself. Her focus is on tax structures, packaging, potencies and home grow limits.

The Joint Committee will hash out the details of all bills filed and determine which would be best for their state, its residents and a legal recreational marijuana industry before taking any of them further.