SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Will Minnesota be one of the next states to legalize recreational marijuana?
There are talks in the State Capitol that could send this question to the voters, as early as 2020.
State Rep. Raymond Dehn of Minneapolis sees the legalization issue through the lens of the criminal justice system, and how people of color in particular have been affected by the prohibition on pot.
"I mean I've always said the difference between teenagers that sell marijuana in the inner city versus teenagers that sell marijuana in the suburbs they're doing it in the basements of their home, and it's protected on the 4th amendment versus on the streets," Dehn said.
It only takes a simple majority in the House of 68 votes, and a simple majority in the Senate of 34 votes.
Then the proposed amendment would go straight to the ballot, and the governor can't stop it. Newly elected Governor Tim Walz, however, has said that he would support it.
"It's a conversation that's been coming for some time, and I think the only way we begin a conversation is to actually introduce legislation," Dehn said.