WASHINGTON — It was no surprise that the U.S. House voted to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. Nor was it a surprise that conservative Congressman Jim Hagedorn, R-Minn., stuck with the minority against decriminalization. The vote was 228-184 to decriminalize. The bill, which would expunge federal convictions of low-level marijuana offenders, goes now to the Senate. Explaining himself, Hagedorn said: “After meeting directly and discussing this issue with law enforcement officers, drug treatment center officials, and many others in southern Minnesota, it is widely understood that legalizing marijuana will contribute greatly to increased lawlessness, drug addiction, family breakups, and loss of economic output.”
Verbatim
Hagedorn: “Marijuana products are as much as 10 times stronger than the illegal drug used in past generations. Far too often, marijuana serves as a gateway drug that leads to the use of methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, and heroin. Meth abuse, especially, continues to devastate lives and families across southern Minnesota. Legalizing an illicit substance is a dangerous precedent to set in the midst of the opioid epidemic, and it makes the treatment and recovery process more difficult. These conditions are amplified by the alarming rise in depression and substance abuse resulting from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
