On Saturday, one of 15 planned "Be Heard on Cannabis" conversations will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the St. Cloud Public Library. More information on other meetings and a survey for residents is available online.
District 14B Rep. Dan Wolgamott, a St. Cloud DFLer and one of the sponsors of the event, said the main goal is to get community feedback about marijuana legalization before writing a bill.
"More and more states are legalizing cannabis," Wolgamott said Tuesday in an interview with the Times.
Marijuana: Minnesota House Democrats bringing community cannabis conversation to St. Cloud in October
"It really seems like our current cannabis laws are doing more harm than good," said the first-term legislator, noting regulations could also help mitigate concerns surrounding youth access and other potential harms.
Wolgamott said he is focused on working to create a "responsible, regulatory framework" toward legalization.
"I really believe that if any state can do this, it's Minnesota," he said.
According to Wolgamott, legalization would provide benefits for the state —including easier access for veterans who may use it for medical purposes but do not qualify under the state's strict medical use policy.
Gov. Tim Walz has also shown support for adult use with regulation.
Sen. Jeff Howe, R-Rockville, recently responded to calls by Walz to prepare state departments for potential legalization in a release: Governor Walz’s new legislative priority once again shows that this governor is not considering the priorities of the people of my district and the residents of Minnesota.
As the state comes to terms with multiple resignations, rampant fraud, and multiple million-dollar mistakes, residents deserve answers and reform, but instead, Governor Walz is directing critical resources to a proposed new law, without substantial vetting and massive administrative hurdles. It is not responsible and will further perpetuate administrative failure in Minnesota.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka tweeted Oct. 8 "Medical Marijuana, YES. Recreational pot, NO."
What happened last session?
In March, DFL lawmakers rolled out a "Responsible on Cannabis" event where legislators looked at bills scheduled for public hearing on cannabis policies.The House introduced legislation to legalize recreational marijuana for adult use. A Senate committee voted down a bill to legalize recreational use.
Medical marijuana became legal in Minnesota in 2015. Only pills, oil, topical and liquid forms are considered legal.
Nationally, 11 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana. States that have legalized include laws such as the number of plants households are allowed to cultivate and the amount individuals are allowed to carry.
"I think there's an urgency in this," Wolgamott said. "That we want to do it, and we want to do it right."
What could happen this session?
Last year, two Minnesota political parties focused on marijuana gained major-party status by securing 5% of the votes for their respective candidates in statewide elections, granting them automatic ballot access.The Legal Marijuana Now party will have automatic access until 2022, according to the party's website.
The Grassroots Party, which supports total legalization of cannabis without licensing, also gained automatic ballot access.
"That'll make it easier for us to run candidates," said Chris Wright, chair of the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party. Wright said the party plans to target races in 2020 to place candidates in support of total legalization.
Wright says the party also handed in more than 10,000 signatures to the governor in September, asking to legalize marijuana and vote no on any legislation that would require a license.
According to Wolgamott, House DFLers are preparing to introduce a bill in the 2020 session with input from the cannabis conversations.
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