The Minnesota Senate voted 34-32 early Saturday morning to pass a bill legalizing cannabis for use by people 21 and older, teeing up the measure for the governor’s signature.
Gov. Tim Walz has said he plans to sign the bill into law, making Minnesota the 23rd state to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
The state has had a medical marijuana program for nearly a decade that started with oils, pills and other non-smokable forms. Leaf form was authorized for that program in 2021. Fewer than half of the other states allow people to grow their own.
“The prohibition on cannabis has had tremendously negative impacts on the lives of Minnesotans, especially our communities of color, and it is time for us to change course, create a system that works for adult-use cannabis, and create a regulated market for Minnesota,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville.
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The bill would set up a new board to oversee licensing of cannabis retailers, and sponsors said that process could take up to 18 months to roll out. Before that — starting in August — the bill would allow adults to grow and possess limited quantities of marijuana without criminal penalties.
Individuals could possess two pounds at their homes and two ounces on their person. And they could grow up to eight plants as long as only four are mature at…
