It looks like Minnesota will soon be the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana. On Friday, the state Senate narrowly approved a bill that would allow adults 21 or older to possess marijuana for personal use. It also would create a system to license and regulate commercial production and distribution. The state House of Representatives passed similar legislation last Tuesday, and Minnesota's Democratic governor, Tim Walz, has indicated that he will sign the plan into law once the differences between those two bills are reconciled. The legalization of recreational use would take effect on August 1.
The negotiations between the House and Senate, both of which are controlled by Democrats, illustrate the policy choices confronting legislators across the country as they decriminalize a psychoactive plant that remains contraband under federal law. The debate about the details of legalization shows that, despite all the talk of treating marijuana like alcohol, legislators remain reluctant to fully embrace that model.
