The way to help legalize marijuana in Minnesota is to vote DFL. Period.
The Minnesota Reformer is reporting that the Minnesota Party of Trump is recruiting candidates to run under the purported aegis of the legal marijuana parties, hoping to siphon votes from Democrats in close races, especially for the state Senate. It’s hardly unexpected, that they would do that.
Yeah, probably a majority of people that vote for candidates in the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party and/or the Legal Marijuana Now Party would otherwise not vote in those races (if at all), or vote for other third-partiers. But “a majority of” is not the same as “all.” There will likely be some very close races for the MN lege, as seats that would normally not be realistic pickups for DFLers will be so in what is shaping up to be a “blue wave or blue tsunami?” year.
I acknowledge a level of hypocrisy, perhaps, on my part, here. There was a time when I myself would have thought it quite cool to tear myself away from my bong, for long enough on Election Day, to go vote for candidates from something like the “Unlimited Free Weed For Everyone Party.” Or whatever. But that was, like, forty years ago, when legalizing it wasn’t going to happen with either of the major parties.
(Incidentally, I lived in California, for college, when the election that gave rise to the now-discredited claim of the “Bradley effect” took place. I was especially bummed because I smoked a lot of Humboldt/Mendocino bud, and the gov.-elect, George Deukmejian, had promised a relentless eradication campaign. Which, as it turned out, had no discernible effect on availability, quality, or price.)
It’s different now. There is a very straightforward path, and a very doable one, to make it legal in Minnesota soon. Governor Tim Walz supports legalization. The DFL-controlled House is fairly chomping at the bit – they know damn well what a winning issue this is with young voters in particular. We just need the MN Senate.
Which we’ll likely get, in any case, but it needs to be by more than a couple of votes. Sen. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) and some others will presumably only support legalization if they get a big ransom in return. Namely, carte blanche for the sulfide miners to do whatever they want in the state, once and for all.
There could be other hitches as well. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking we need at least a five-vote majority in the Senate, to be pretty comfortable with legalization getting done. Please please please don’t help screw it up by wasting a perfectly good vote in a hopeless cause, just because you love your weed as much as I did.
Thanks for your feedback. If we like what you have to say, it may appear in a future post of reader reactions.