Why this is even an issue anymore is beyond me. Fun fact; marijuana has killed as many people as unicorns have.  Well. it looks like Minnesota democrats are going to take another stab at legalization.

Cannabis Club Operates in San Francisco
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House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, has put together a bill for pot legalization, as well as, criminal record expungement.  Winkler tried introducing this bill last year with not much success.

In his bill he spells out setting up a regulatory board, licensing system and opportunities for small business. Retailers would have to be licensed, they would have to be stand-alone businesses, and go through a rigorous application process.  We'd make sure that one owner can't own the whole marketplace.

Unfortunately, the bill doesn't stand much of a chance of passing, since State Senate Republicans have little interest in passing it.  Sort of ironic, in my opinion, if anyone needs to take a few puffs once in awhile, it's State Senate Republicans.

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According to political insiders, cannabis legalization is popular with the majority of Minnesotans. Give the people what the want, right?

Winkler adds "Our goal is to move an illegal marketplace into a safe and legal marketplace, so if our taxes are too high or our regulations are too challenging people will continue to buy cannabis on the black market."

With cannabis soon to be legally available in South Dakota and North Dakota strongly considering legalization, Minnesotans will just cross borders to purchase their cannabis. This is Minnesota missing out on approximately 60 million dollars in annual tax revenue.

Let's just let the people of Minnesota vote on it. I don't believe politicians represent the people on this issue.

 

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