Minnesota’s House of Representatives created a select committee back in July of this year to help fight against racism. Lawmakers called racism a public health crisis after the death of George Floyd. Called the Select Committee on Racial Justice, members look at law making efforts through a racial and social equity lens. This is to help end racial injustice within the state. And the committee stated that it was time Minnesota to decriminalize cannabis.
Co-chair Representative Ruth Richardson (DFL – Mendota Heights) said, “The COVID-19 pandemic and senseless murder of George Floyd shined a light on the historical and contemporary injustices that are still embedded in our society. The work we did on this select committee was long overdue and it represents a commitment to bring about meaningful change in our state and the Minnesota House as an institution.”
New Report Issued
On December 22, 2020, this Committee issued a report that broadly detailed the race-based issues that many Minnesota citizens are currently facing. The report had several different concerns that need addressed in the state. Most important of these concerns is the decriminalization of cannabis possession and consumption. This needs to become a law because it would begin to remove some of the race-based concerns.
Governor Tim Walz (D) backs this idea. He has been working with different departments and agencies to create a reform for recreational marijuana. This would be for citizens over 21. Minnesota needs to decriminalize cannabis, he has said on numerous occasions. Minnesota legalized medical marijuana for citizens back in 2014 but decriminalization only applied for medical possession. Those found with cannabis who didn’t have an approved medical card on them would still be arrested.
The committee streamed their discussion and decision through various social media platforms and opened the conversation up to citizens and other states. The committee did this because they wanted to show what Minnesota lawmakers were doing for social justice reform and what other states could do for themselves.
There is still a long way to go to decriminalize cannabis possession across the country. This change however is a fresh start. These arrests still disproportionately occur in communities of color.
Minnesota is ahead of the game when it comes to decriminalizing cannabis. Many states will most likely follow as the Biden-Harris administration takes office in January with the promise to decriminalize cannabis possession is high on their priority list. Now it’s just a matter of waiting to see what happens, hopefully for the better.
Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp laws and news.