Marijuana Legalization Should be on The Ballot in Minnesota, Republican Nominee For Governor Says

GOP nominee for governor in Minnesota Scott Jensen believes that voters should think about the decriminalization of little amounts of marijuana and the deletion of its prior possession records. Moreover, the republican candidate plans to put cannabis legalization on the ballot. Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz also shares this point of view and said that he is ready to sign a bill in case it reaches him. However, in his interview with the Star Tribune’s State Fair booth, Scott Jensen announced that he would rather allow voters to decide on marijuana through a constitutional voting amendment.

Surely, it is notable that former Republican state senator Jensen and DFL governor Walz holds the same view regarding the adult-use legalization of marijuana. Yet, this is not so surprising when considering the fact that earlier they agreed on gun policy and insulin affordability as well. Besides, in June, Tim Walz signed a bill allowing hemp sellers and businesses to legally trade some cannabis products such as foods, drinks, and topicals containing CBD and various other cannabinoids. In his recent interview, Jensen hesitated to say that he’d revise the marijuana policy. He stated that officials are to assess the efficiency of the project after at least 6 months. The candidate for governor claims that the program needs to be improved. Also, they should review Minnesota's medical cannabis law shortly.

Expunging past cannabis possession records is one of the concerns that Jensen wants to solve as soon as possible. “Individuals with past criminal convictions can face difficulty acquiring and maintaining employment, attending college, and engaging in other activities. In some cases, this hardship can lead to other crime and recidivism”, his campaign site says.

In 2019, he offered to federally reschedule marijuana to make plant research easier. This follows the bill about creating an adult-use marijuana market in the state-sponsored by Jensen. According to that legislation 21 years old or older adults could have purchased, grown, and earned recreational cannabis from licensed traders.

Jensen is sure that these bills will contribute to expunging past cannabis-related convictions. In addition, taxes collected from marijuana sales will be invested into the communities impacted by the fight against drugs.