Minnesota Republican lawmakers are asking the governor and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate to convene a “narrowly tailored special session” to address what they view as unintended consequences of a marijuana legalization law that takes effect on Tuesday, citing concerns about policies on underage possession and public consumption.
In a letter sent to Gov. Tim Walz (D), Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic (D) and House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) on Friday, 20 GOP lawmakers said that they were deeply concerned about recent reporting suggesting that the cannabis law “effectively legalized marijuana for children.”
“Legal consequences are a significant and important deterrent from youth addiction and can help avoid more grave issues later in life,” they said. “This legislation deliberately took away an important tool for parents, law enforcement, and local communities to keep kids from harming themselves or others.”
The Democratic sponsors and staff who worked on the legalization bill did intend to remove criminal penalties for underage possession, in tandem with creating a regulated market for adults and promoting education to deter youth use. They say that criminalizing anyone over possession doesn’t achieve the goal of eliminating the illicit market. But despite their intent and the GOP
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