A bill to legalize marijuana in Minnesota has been approved in its 12th House committee, with more still to come as a Senate companion version also continues to advance.
The House Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee passed the legislation from Rep. Zack Stephenson (D) in a 7-5 vote on Wednesday. Last week, the companion bill from Sen. Lindsey Port (D) advanced through a ninth committee in that chamber.
“Minnesotans are ready for this change,” Stephenson said ahead of the House committee vote. “Our current laws are doing more harm than good, and Minnesotans deserve the freedom and respect to make their own decisions about cannabis.”
With majorities in both the House and Senate and control over the governorship this session, Democratic-Farmer-Labor party officials are confident that legalization will be enacted in short order following the extensive committee consideration.
Gov. Tim Walz (D) recently released his biennial budget request, which included proposed funding to implement marijuana legalization and expungements, and made projections about the millions of dollars in cannabis tax revenue that his office estimates the state will earn after the reform is enacted.
Stephenson and Port have separately introduced the governor’s cannabis budget proposal in their respective chambers. The
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