Attorney General Keith Ellison

The Pro-Legalization Majority

Keith Ellison

Attorney General

Publicly expressed support for cannabis legalization
Pro-legalization voting record during time in Congress
Endorsed by Grassroots Legalize Cannabis candidate Noah Johnson in 2018
Attended and spoke at legalization rallies
Defended medical cannabis laws to the Minnesota Supreme Court

Press

Attorney General Keith Ellison | Press

April 21, 2022

DFL’ers use 4/20 to call for marijuana legalization - Bring Me The News

Democrats use unofficial holiday to say: #LegalizeMN.

May 13, 2021

Minnesota House Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill

State Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), for his part, called on lawmakers to approve legalization.

“Law enforcement in MN should be focused on serious crimes, not low-level cannabis offenses that lead to significant racial disparities in our criminal-justice system and injustice in our communities, and do little or nothing to keep us safer,” he said in a Twitter post.

May 3, 2021

Minnesota Insurers Argue Workers’ Comp Doesn’t Cover Medical Pot

Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office also weighed in on Musta’s case in an amicus brief after the court declined to permit intervention in March. The brief, penned by Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Boman, argued that Musta’s claims weren’t preempted. “Over 31,000 Minnesotans are actively enrolled in Minnesota’s medical cannabis patient registry. A court order invalidating the medical cannabis laws, in whole or in part, would be disruptive to many Minnesotans with underlying medical conditions,” Boman said in a section outlining the attorney general’s interest.

Social Media

Attorney General Keith Ellison | Social Media

Let’s be blunt: white and Black people use marijuana at similar rates, yet Black folks are disproportionally arrested.

Now, some are making millions in the marijuana industry while others are behind bars. This is unjust.

Legalize marijuana and expunge all convictions.

— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) April 20, 2022

Af-Am and white ppl in MN consume cannabis at v similar rates—yet while Black ppl are just 5% of MN pop they make up 30% of cannabis arrests. Criminalizing a product most ppl want legalized, and continuing a legacy of racial injustice in doing so, is not defensible. #legalizemn

— Attorney General Keith Ellison (@AGEllison) May 12, 2021

Law enforcement in MN should be focused on serious crimes, not low-level cannabis offenses that lead to significant racial disparities in our criminal-justice system and injustice in our communities, and do little or nothing to keep us safer. #LegalizeMN

— Attorney General Keith Ellison (@AGEllison) May 13, 2021

Minnesota is spending significant law enforcement resources enforcing low-level cannabis offenses rather than focusing on more serious crimes. This has resulted in significant racial disparities in our criminal justice system and injustice in our communities. #LegalizeMN

— Attorney General Keith Ellison (@AGEllison) May 13, 2021

Af-Am and white ppl in MN consume cannabis at v similar rates—yet while Black ppl are just 5% of MN pop they make up 30% of cannabis arrests. Criminalizing a product most ppl want legalized, and continuing a legacy of racial injustice in doing so, is not defensible. #legalizemn

— Attorney General Keith Ellison (@AGEllison) May 12, 2021

⁦@ninaturner⁩ said “raise your hand for yourself and someone else …raise your hands to legalize marijuana, raise your hand for women to get their whole dollar”. Room explodes. She’s awesome. pic.twitter.com/Jh2sQrcqRD

— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) February 27, 2020

The war on drugs didn’t stop drug usage; it just ruined a lot of lives. Jeff Sessions is reviving it because he believes in using the criminal justice system as an instrument of racial and economic control of poor people and brown people. https://t.co/XRd8OldE2N

— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) January 4, 2018

African-Americans are 4x more likely to be arrested on marijuana charges than whites, but stats show blacks/whites use it at similar rates

— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) July 20, 2014

Record