Minnesota Governor Signs Marijuana Legalization Bill Into Law
By Kyle Jaeger
May 30, 2023
The governor of Minnesota has signed a bill to legalize marijuana, making it the 23rd state in the U.S. to end cannabis prohibition.
After months of committee hearings and floor votes, Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed off on HF 100 on Tuesday, as he previously committed to doing.
“This has been a long journey with a lot of folks involved,” Walz said. “What we know right now is prohibition does not work. We’ve criminalized a lot of folks who are going to start the expungement process on those records.”
“It’s going to take us a bit of time to get this up and going. We’ll be getting some people into the positions to be able to run this,” he said. “But I assure Minnesotans that a lot of thought has gone into this. A lot of the things learned in other states are incorporated into how we do this, and the thoughtfulness around this legislation gives us a really good guiding principle.”
Now, with the governor’s signature, marijuana possession and home cultivation will become legal in the state on August 1—with regulators expected to take 12-18 months to get a licensed commercial sales system launched.
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, a longstanding champion of cannabis reform who delivered impassioned testimony at legislative hearings this session about illegally obtaining medical marijuana to treat his wife’s severe epilepsy, attended Tuesday’s bill signing.
“This was a huge day in our family’s life because prohibition will now end. It’s gone on longer than I’ve been alive, the prohibition of a plant made by god,” he said. “We were always told everything was here for us to use. Now in Minnesota we will be able to use this plant after years of prohibition.”
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