Minnesota is on the verge of becoming the 23rd state in the U.S. to allow the production, sale and use of marijuana for recreational uses.
A House-Senate conference committee Tuesday made the final changes and gave its approval for a bill to bring about a new market for a drug that remains illegal on the federal level. After the last version of the 320-page bill is drafted by legislative staff, it will move first to the House floor for approval — probably Thursday. The Senate will take up the measure after that and send it to Gov. Tim Walz, who promises to sign it.
The prime sponsors — Sen. Lindsey Port of Burnsville and Rep. Zack Stephenson of Coon Rapids — on Tuesday celebrated the completion of a bill that took nearly five months and more than 30 committee hearings to get to the finish.
Port said the work has gone on for years, not just the months of this session. DFL sponsorship succeeded in getting a version passed by the DFL-House in 2021 but could not break through when the GOP controlled the Senate. Winning control of both bodies last November set the bill up for success this year.
“Minnesota will be better because of it,” Stephenson said of the journey to legalize recreational marijuana.
Both Stephenson and Port said they think they still have enough DFL votes to approve the final bill, and both said they expect some Republicans to support it.
“I’ve had Republicans come up and tell me they like the…
