A bill to legalize marijuana in Minnesota was approved in its fourth House committee and advanced through its Senate committee on Thursday.
Lawmakers are working quickly to pass the legislation that was introduced earlier this month. The House version cleared the Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committee in a voice vote. In the Senate, that companion bill passed 5-3 in the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.
The measures are being sponsored by Rep. Zack Stephenson (D) and Sen. Lindsey Port (D) in their respective chambers.
“The prohibition of cannabis is a failed system that has not achieved the desired goals and has had incredible costs for our communities, especially for communities of color,” Port said at the Senate hearing on Thursday.
“We have an opportunity today to start the process to undo some of the harm that has been done and to create a system of regulation that works for Minnesota consumers and businesses while ensuring an opportunity in this new market for communities that have been affected by prohibition,” the senator said. “Our main goals are to legalize, regulate and expunge and we are working to ensure that this bill does just that.”
Stephenson, for his part, told
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