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A bill that would legalize recreational marijuana in Minnesota is on its way to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for his signature after the state Senate gave the legislation its final stamp of approval following weeks of debate.
The Minnesota Senate voted 34-32 early Saturday morning after the measure had cleared the state House with slim bipartisan support last week. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, as the state Democratic outfit is known, controls both legislative chambers.
Walz has said he plans to sign the bill into law, which would make Minnesota the 23rd state to legalize adult-use cannabis and the third Midwestern state to do so. CNN has reached out to Walz’s office for comment.
Under the measure, Minnesota residents who are 21 years and older would be able to possess up to two ounces of marijuana flower in public and two pounds at home starting August 1. The bill would also give people with marijuana convictions a chance to clear their records by automatically expunging low-level convictions and establishing a review board to determine eligibility for higher-level offenses.
The measure would also set up an Office of Cannabis Management, which would oversee the regulation and sale of cannabis products in the state.
“Over the last three years, DFLers in the legislature have worked and listened to build a Minnesota-specific model for cannabis legalization,” Democratic state Rep.
