ST. PAUL, Minn. – Without a vote to spare, Democrats in the Minnesota Senate voted to loosen state marijuana laws. The margin was 34-33 along party lines. The majority Democrats said that people should be trusted make decisions on marijuana themselves. They also noted that the current law disproportionately affects people of color. In a news conference the Senate minority leader Mark Johnson, a Republican from East Grand Forks, called the bill contrary to public safety and public health. Johnson noted that law enforcement had opposed the bill.
What people think
A reent poll by KSTP suggested that 58% of Minnesotans supported full legalization of recreational marijuana, 26% opposed, and 15% were undecided.