Gov. Walz signs marijuana legalization bill into law

hey everyone [Applause] good to see you again you weren't going to miss us were you no way no way well good afternoon everyone uh thank you for taking some time on this beautiful day to come up here um in just a moment we are going to sign the legislation to make recreational and adult use cannabis available in Minnesota we will uh become I believe the 23rd State the 11th other states have uh homegrown cannabis but this has been a long journey with a lot of folks involved 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 we have a situation where um buying cannabis on the streets is dangerous with the things from fentanyl to xylazine to the other things we're starting to see show up it makes sense to have that we also know we have a lot of folks here and you're going to get to hear from some of those who have been at this for a long time they've made the case around medicinal cannabis around pain relief around the ability to uh to treat many things that they know makes a difference plus the fact of being adults need to make their own decisions around these types of uh of choices there's a lot of folks in here and I'm going to miss some but I want to thank certainly our authors on this Senator Port representative Stevenson thank you this is not only getting this bill legalized it was an exercise in democracy I think we had 30 plus hearings we had many witnesses in here we had a lot of the work that was being done around that and ushered that through countless committees to get it to this point on the administration side we've been working on this since 2019. I ran on this in in 2018 when we were elected we started by going to Vermont having folks from Vermont and Colorado come here and a lot of the work that was done on the agencies in state government coordinating together and standing up the office was done from 2019 to this moment so 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 but I assure minnesotans that a lot of thought is going run 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 few of the groups that are here Minnesota's ready I want to thank them the folks at Minnesota normal I think the first time I talked to you was several decades ago when we were talking about to the folks how many state fairs were we at across the street from the state fair and um had conversations when I was running for congress in 2005. it's a group of folks who work with me because I was advocating for this I took that work to Congress because of of cannabis being listed as a schedule one it causes all kinds of problems in the in the Veterans Administration on how do we treat veteran issues especially chronic pain where we know that in the current conflicts we we started over prescribing opioids and what we saw was is we passed the first piece of legislation that ever passed the United States Congress stepping marijuana back down again to make sure that we could do the research in the VA to be able to get to get some of the breakthroughs we know we need to get folks in the the Oliver's here I think Grassroots legalized cannabis party to the folks who had the parties who ran um an incredible service both to moving this piece of legislation forward but to the Democracy folks who got organized enough and we know there's some Bad actors that played into this it wasn't these people it wasn't this party these were folks who used the democracy and organized and got people out there and got on the ballot and pushed this issue they were part of us getting to this point today so I want to give a big thank you to the folks who made that happen and then of course I would be remiss I am not the first governor to talk about this I'm the second governor to talk about this um and I was about 20 years after the fact on that Governor Ventura and first lady Ventura um advocated for this 25 years ago and they also and I want to say thank you for for sharing and thank you for trusting the public with your stories uh very candidly came forward and talked about how it impacted their lives how it made their lives better these are very personal decisions these are things that adults would not and from now on do not have to talk about but somebody had to do it somebody who had the ability to be able to talk about it to get people to listen um and uh the Venturas did that and so it is appropriate that I think at that time Governor if I'm not wrong we would have become the second or the third state instead of the 23rd had we listened to you at that time I think we were on the front end um but but bronze medals so we're here but uh it's a good day and I I assure people as they're listening out there uh prohibition has not worked we need to put things in place that are safe and for those who make the comments we're certainly not advocating for our children we're trying to make sure that there is a regulatory regime put in place there are processes put in place there's the ability for adults to make those decisions without criminalizing them we know what the products are that are out there and it just makes for a smoother Market turning your back and pretending a problem doesn't exist and for those who bring up what about this what about this all those things are happening right now what this is meant to do is to try and reduce those facts to reduce those chances and to make um to make cannabis and adult use cannabis uh safe and legal in Minnesota so I'm proud of the work that was done here this seems like a long journey and I I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up the fact of this is we've got folks here from our tribal leaders who are here um to others who are going to see the opportunity for another Agricultural Product to create wealth we've got uh United Food and Commercial Workers here who are going to work on this or they're going to need people to grow this you're going to need people to process you're going to need people to transport all of those things are going to create economic opportunities and I'm just really grateful folks are seizing the Minnesota entrepreneurial Spirit they're going to get themselves in a position to do this and we can continue to make progress on it with that I think I'm going to turn to our lead author in the Senate Senator port thank you Governor good afternoon everyone I'm Senator Lindsey Port from District 55. I am delighted to be here with you uh as we sort of put the period at the end of the sentence on this piece of legislation um this has been you know a huge huge lift uh this session and through the process there are two things that I have said consistently one prohibition does not work the governor laid out all of the reasons why if we could have solved any of the concerns people had with cannabis through prohibition we would have done it anytime over the last 50 years it doesn't work I'm really proud that Minnesota is taking a step forward and trying something new and we're trying it in a way that is unique to Minnesota that really delves into the realities of Minnesota that looks at entrepreneurial spirit that looks at reinvesting in communities that have been harmed and most importantly that puts front and center in this legislation the expungement piece to make sure that we are undoing some of the harm that we have done as a state through the prohibition of cannabis thank you the other thing I've been saying through this is that it has been a joint effort and yes because I love a good pun but also because this is this really is a community focused Bill and it has gotten here today not because of Representative Stevenson and I or even because the governor pushed this it has gotten here today because of the people of Minnesota because you all stood up and said this is what we want we are ready for this you organized through patients who needed medicinal marijuana you organized through Veterans through Farmers through hemp Growers through retailers it is a full group effort and I think that this bill really reflects that and we will see profit not just in a sort of fiscal way but we will see growth and profit in our communities in a way that allows our communities to build wealth especially those who have been most harmed by prohibition thank you so much for coming thank you for covering this bill for you know understanding the huge step that we are taking and what this will mean particularly to communities who have been most harmed thank you so much I am delighted to watch this get signed today thank you good afternoon I'm Zach Stevenson I was the house author of this legislation thank you governor for your support in signing the bill uh today and while Minnesota might be the 23rd state to legalize cannabis I think we've passed the best bill in the country that minnesotans can be really proud of we've learned from what happens in other states we've built a model that will work for Minnesota specifically and I think minnesotans will be really pleased with the results of that work and I I want to Echo the comments that Senator port and the governor both made about how really you know this has been a long long race to get to this point and and we are just the anchor team of that race carrying the Baton across the finish line and there have been so many people in this building and outside this building who made sure that we uh got uh to this point a few of whom I just want to specifically recognize including uh former Majority Leader Ryan Winkler who's here today who worked tirelessly to bring the bill forward and really elevated thank you later Winkler uh also the intellectual godmother of the bill uh uh chair Aisha Gomez Who's back here in writing it but there's a risk in naming specific names of people you're thinking because inevitably you forget a lot of people who are really important uh and so I'm gonna stop there but just say that countless legislators uh have touched this but actually I'm going to name one more which is representative Jess Hanson who has worked so hard on this both inside the legislature and outside uh but we could continue uh with this strain uh all afternoon naming people who worked hard inside this building and outside this building in ways big and small to get us to this to this point I was asked this morning uh by a reporter why did you take on this issue and and the answer is it was the issue that I was hearing about from my constituents more than anything else when I was outdoor knocking people would say it's time let's do this our current laws are doing more harm than good and in a few moments the governor is going to start to undo uh that harm and I'm looking forward to watching you sign that so now I have the great uh pleasure and honor of introducing the former governor of Minnesota I was a freshman in high school when he shocked the world I remember listening to it on the radio and so it's my great pleasure news Governor Jesse Ventura [Applause] [Music] thank you thank you on behalf of myself and first lady Terry Ventura um this is a huge day in our family's life because uh prohibition will now end it's going on longer than I've been alive the pro prohibition of a plant made by God well now 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 we didn't want any families to go through what the first lady and I went through we don't want anyone to have to ever do that in Minnesota now today they will never have to because prohibition will end today on cannabis and I guess I'll finish by saying for me personally it's very wonderful to see a dream of yours over 20 years ago finally happened today and I'm still alive to see it Governor Waltz thank you the legislature thank you you're the ones that did it you got it done and you deserve a pat on the back for that and what press conference would there be if Jesse Ventura didn't leave with something said controversial right right so I'll end it by saying this Jimi Hendrix is looking down on Minnesota smiling today [Applause] foreign [Applause] they're out there and at this time Governor Ventura be glad to answer some questions fire away um what changed um I think it probably was simply a case of Education of people becoming educated more and not listening to and watching performances like Reefer Madness on TV and things of that nature the propaganda that went on about cannabis all these years and everything about it I think it's basically the people of Minnesota especially have been educated now and they understand that cannabis all drugs and all forms of things have an upside and a downside to them but cannabis's upside is so much much more and good than any downside and so for me personally it was just something I've always believed that it was wrong for cannabis to be against the law and I felt that it needed to be said 20 years ago or 25 years ago the attempt needed to be made and one thing you learn about our government it doesn't move quickly so for it to happen within 20 years is actually quite quick in by the standards out there impaired drivers are out there right now it isn't going to make any difference one way or the other that way impaired driving you've allowed alcohol all these years we tried prohibiting that into my best knowledge my dad told me about it it wasn't very successful prohibition has never worked never in the past as it worked and it's not going to work in the future and so certainly you should not drive under the influence of anything it's that simple you don't drive under the influence of anything oh I don't put it there you do no I uh I don't look back at a legacy and say Jesse Ventura I I was a spark that that that brought a thought to the table and it took many years of diligent work by legislators Governors Governor Waltz especially to reach this point today and it nothing in government you learn nothing happens overnight you know it really doesn't one of this to do yeah I thought you're going to ask me a question about acting or wrestling or something so I felt like we were trading positions here um I do think that making sure that the licensing piece of this I think you've seen this we've got folks here from the Department of Agriculture folks here from the BCA will be working on the expungement um I'm feeling confident about it because we've had four years we've had these other states to look at it I think it's standing it up to make sure and I feel really good about the regulatory regime you've seen that even though in kind of a short fuse on the the gummies and things we've been able to catch the Bad actors in that if they're trying to sell that aren't shouldn't be out there I think that's uh that's a piece that I feel confident about I think it's getting folks licensed out there I'm really just grateful the thoughtfulness that went into the bill about making sure we've got good local Partners in this that that is a really important piece of it so I think we we can do this we we've done it before on other things we have a regime that's even more complex around alcohol right now as it stands um so we'll be able to do it and I have to tell you for some of you if you to get the Fuller story on this we've got clear from White Earth and in Prairie Island and others these folks have been looking at this for a lot of years too and are kind of on the front end of how to make this work and I had the chance to tour up in monomen incredible facility that's going to be on the front end of this so I think we're going to our partners will make this happen but I think reassure been on for a long time and and I think the making sure that we're able to coordinate across state government again I tell people who might not think that this is a signing and now it happened it's been years and years of work planning for this day inside state government yeah it's important and this is where the black community is knowing this so we know what the statistics show that the the chances of someone uh being arrested or or being incarcerated around cannabis was much greater if you were a person of color if you're in the black community we'll start on the misdemeanors the the petty misdemeanors will start early but I think I heard rep Stevenson's talking this morning we've got 50 years of folks that we've been arresting and getting records on them it's not going to unwind immediately but we feel a sense of urgency around that we'll start that process this summer and get moving on that and get folks records cleared up and I think this is where minnesotans you know you know who you are out there if you had one of these at one time or whatever keep a track on this we'll make sure we get those things expunged get them out of the records but I I would argue for many folks up here myself included this was a really important piece of this um we really made life tough for people and I heard it in front of the pardon board countless times people who were 18 19 20 years old who had a conviction around cannabis who have lived exemplary lives and were simply trying to be licensed in whether it be a nurse or a teacher a police officer they were trying to do these things and that was keeping them from being able to do that so I feel really uh positive about this piece but many up here that's what they were fighting for part of the terminology yeah well I think uh the the most of the effective dates are August 1st this Summer that are relevant to people so starting on August 1st it will no longer be a crime in Minnesota to possess up to two ounces of cannabis outside your home or up to two pounds of cannabis uh inside your home and that's also when it becomes uh legal to grow cannabis at your home up to eight plants total four of which can be mature that's also when a lot of that expungement work really will kick into a high gear in the height of the summer and then as the governor said there's a lot of work to be done standing up uh the marketplace making sure that we have all of the regulations and rules to protect people's health and safety and consumer protections all the benefits that a legitimate Marketplace offers that will probably take 12 to 18 months beyond that before you see retail locations uh open uh right away but the change will be starting sooner this summer programs at home at home but it'd be illegal to purchase over state lines how do you reconcile that my understanding is seeds since they have less than 0.3 percent THC there's not a barrier to legality uh there so people should be able uh to purchase seeds it's my understanding there are already places that sell seeds around the state but that's that's legal it's less than the threshold under state law currently and we'll obviously continue to be legal people to buy seeds yes that'll be this summer that's the work we do now we get this thing standing up we'll have the advisory committee that will be there to help us on this as we're citizens I would ask all the folks out there we've had a few people show interest in this um already um for trying to stand up on that and I would encourage folks if they think that is something they want to be a part of to uh to do that we say that on all the Committees and all the things now there will be one around this issue of adult use cannabis we haven't put it together yet we'll put out the job description on this and get it out there folks will apply for this um you know there'll be a a big skill set here of running an agency and working across agency from the Department of Health Department of Agriculture to BCA people who can manage those groups foreign there is a part of this bill that puts into place temporary regulations as we're setting up the agency before the agency is in charge of rulemaking and things like that so those regulations go into effect in August uh with everything else and uh it really is critical what we've seen with this industry so far is as it was legalized last year it's sort of been the wild west there has not been a lot of Regulation around it and so the requirements on the that five milligrams no more than two servings in a beverage and you know testing requirements will be put into place so that those are much more regulated than they currently are I mean the Edibles the low-dose Edibles are still are legal continue to be legal uh but then August 1st yeah I'm kind of with Governor Venture on this I think Legacy is written by others I I will phrase it a little differently but um but I think that's right I think it's important because I think listening to so many if you're out there doing this you heard this overwhelmingly and I I remember uh I got asked uh Tom asked me at a debate in 2017 about it and I had already been supportive of this I think it's about following through and I think the Legacy that you create is if you're listening to constituents you're doing the things that improve lives or have the opportunity to impact them positively those things will get in there I just like the idea with this legislature and I saw a senator dietzick came in and uh speaker Hortman I I know as far as for me personally on this I I will never speak about things we've done without mentioning their names together in this because it has been a partnership with an incredible legislature and I think it's important I think I I said in January that the era of gridlock is over this didn't get done just because of gridlock this didn't get done and I never for the life of me could figure out with right-leaning libertarianism what the deal is with more government over you know trying to regulate what you can do as an adult so I think one of the things this probably plays into is breaking down that idea that gridlock is the way things are and that stuff can actually get done that's what we promised you we promised in November we get stuff done a lot got done prospects uh I'm sorry repeat that any prospects of me oh I don't know that's down that's down the road but I would like to make a statement for all of you that's on another subject I just returned from Mexico I went down there 30 days ago and returned now it took me three seconds to drive into Mexico it took me three hours to drive into my country and I burned 70 miles worth of gasoline waiting to do it think about that at the border for a minute well my my thought about license tabs is the same as it's always been I can't figure out why they needed seven year sales tax on your car licenses it should be a flat rate you're buying a license to drive on the roads it should have no bearing on the price of whatever you're driving so you got my political position there they made sure to change that within a year after I left so it doesn't fall on these people it falls on people about 16 years ago [Laughter] this is your life it's enough allowing the black market the process of eliminating the illicit Marketplace and moving to a legitimate Marketplace is going to take obviously a lot of time that that's what was our experience the last time we moved from a illicit Market to a legitimate Market with alcohol and it will be true with cannabis too and we see that in other states but there has been success in getting rid of the illicit Marketplace in other states states like Washington and Montana have shrunk their illicit Market dramatically over the time that they've had legalization we are able to make something not criminal that is Criminal today and end the harm that we've been talking about all along and that's very important but to do the job right of setting up a legitimate Marketplace is going to take some time we're going to try and make that as sure a time as we possibly can but we need to do it responsibly and do it well and that it takes some time thank you all right thanks everybody [Applause]

Channel: FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul

Views: 9,392

Keywords: news, cannabis, marijuana, jesse ventura, tim walz

Id: H89PZOh-UGo

Length: 28min 43sec (1723 seconds)

Published: Tue May 30 2023