Founded by the leaders of the cannabis legalization movement

After four years of hearings on the full legalization of cannabis with constant obstruction by a Republican Senate Majority, we collectively decided enough is enough – it is time to get serious about legalizing cannabis in Minnesota.

In 2019, Senate Republicans held a hearing on a bill for full legalization carried by Senator Melisa López Franzen (D-Edina) with the express intent of voting it down. Following the 2019 hearing, Senate Republicans indicated that they had their position on cannabis legalization.

In 2021, House Democrats held 12 hearings on HF600 (Winkler, D-Golden Valley) to legalize the adult use of cannabis in Minnesota. The bill passed with bipartisan support in the House, with five Republicans voting with the DFL to pass the bill, which kicked the issue to the Republican Controlled Senate for 2022.

In 2022, Governor Walz (D) included a proposal for legalization of cannabis in his supplemental budget request. However, when asked by reporters, Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) indicated he “did not see a path” for legalization. The Senate held no hearings, and the issue was pronounced dead at the legislature.

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Core Principles

Founding coalition members worked extensively on HF600 (Winkler), which was voted off the House floor in 2021. We have established general principles and objectives for cannabis legalization in Minnesota:

We want one statewide standard – we don’t want a patchwork of regulations.
We want to create a successful, legal market and eliminate the illegal market – we don’t want an unnecessarily burdensome regulatory or tax policy.
We want a Minnesota-based craft industry that benefits Minnesotans – we don’t want to create a market for outside companies to take over.
We want those harmed by prohibition to participate in the success of the legal marketplace – we don’t want to continue harming communities of color.
We want to expunge criminal cannabis records and help individuals and communities heal – we don’t want to forget about the injustices of prohibition.
We want to support education, impaired driving detection, chemical dependency treatment and mental health recovery – we don’t want to ignore the risks of cannabis.
We want to ensure cannabis is affordable and accessible, especially for those who need it – we don’t want the price of cannabis on the legal market to exceed that of the illicit market.

Want to get involved?

The MN is Ready Coalition has opportunities for the approximately 730,000 cannabis-users in Minnesota to support our work. Please click below for more information.

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A rapidly growing coalition. Are you ready to join us?

Allied organizations, non-profits, advocacy groups, labor unions, industry trade groups, ancillary businesses, and members of the cannabis industry are all saying: MN is Ready for a pro-legalization majority in Minnesota. We have opportunities for organizations of all sizes to get involved. Send us a note, and we’ll get in touch with options for you.

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