We talked to Peter Callaghan this week - he covers state government for MinnPost. He recently had an article that looked into the politics of legalizing recreational marijuana - especially as it relates to MN's DFL party. From his article:
During the 2019 legislative session, when it came time for the Minnesota House of Representatives’ DFL majority to take a stand on the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, they did — in the middle of the road. Calling its approach “Responsible on Cannabis,” the caucus called for a task force to study the issue, while supporting changes to criminal penalties and making it easier for veterans with service connected disabilities to get medical marijuana. In fact, the only vote on full legalization came not in the House but in the Senate, where a Republican-controlled committee voted it down on party lines. In the intervening months, however, the No. 2 leader in the House DFL caucus has come out strongly for legalization, presenting the issue not only as a personal endorsement but as an official position of the 75-member caucus.
