ST PAUL, Minn. — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura was front and center as Gov. Tim Walz signed the recreational cannabis bill into law.
"It's very wonderful to see a dream of yours over 20 years ago finally happen today and I'm still alive to see it," Ventura said.
However, the former governor's appearance didn't sit well with Mike Lonergan, executive director of the Republican Party of Minnesota. When asked for response to Tuesday's bill signing, Lonergan sent KARE 11 the following statement:
"It is sad and pathetic that Gov. Tim Walz and the Democrats prop up extremists like Jesse Ventura, who's said that the government caused 9/11, has touted dangerous conspiracy theories about FEMA using holocaust imagery, and even been paid by the Russian government to spread propaganda. Turns out Walz and the Democrats' bluster about civility and decency was just empty campaign rhetoric and lies."
-Mike Lonergan, Executive Director, Republican Party of Minnesota
KARE 11 reached out to several individual Republican lawmakers Tuesday for fresh reaction and they were either unavailable or didn't respond. Yet viewpoints were made clear throughout the legislative session, including just before the final vote earlier this month that would send the bill to the governor's desk. Many of them called the legislation convoluted and expressed concerns over road safety, crime, addiction, and other mental health issues.
"I don't believe that this bill before us today is ready," said Sen. Jordan Rasmusson (R- Fergus Falls).
"Putting these dispensaries or whatever you want to call them in low-income areas is going to somehow bring justice? I think it's the most horrible thing that you could do," said Sen. Steve Green (R- Fosston). "I don't know why you'd want to do that to any community. A lot of the low-income communities already have problems with substance abuse."
Some lawmakers also said they were not reassured by experiences of other states where recreational cannabis is legal.
In late April, Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R- East Grand Forks) and Sen. Carla Nelson (R- Rochester), issued a press release to claim the bill "forces cannabis into cities without adequate public safety support, public awareness campaigns, or substance abuse prevention."
“We recognize the growing interest in legalizing cannabis in Minnesota,” Johnson said. “However, voting for this bill in its current form will make our roads less safe. It will put more children at risk for accidental overdose. It will tell teenagers that this drug is safer than alcohol or tobacco when that is simply not true."
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