Minnesotans are increasingly supportive of legalizing cannabis, but the bill recently passed by the Legislature is not ready for prime time.

As this legislation moved through the committee process, my Senate Republican colleagues and I voiced a number of concerns about the significant flaws in the proposal. An issue that we have brought up many times is: how will we ensure public safety?

Currently, there are no reliable roadside tests for driving under the influence of cannabis, and further, there are zero clear standards available to ensure safe driving conditions. What we do know is the fact that increased cannabis use is associated with an increase in traffic deaths. According to the National Institutes of Health, since marijuana was legalized in Colorado, traffic deaths involving marijuana-impaired drivers increased by 138% while all Colorado traffic deaths increased by 29%.

There are courses for local law enforcement to become trained in drug impairment, but this bill does not fund any training for local police officers and sheriffs’ deputies. We need to ensure that there is proper regulation in place to ensure Minnesotans’ safety before cannabis is legalized.

Additionally, the question remains: what power will local communities retain to regulate cannabis? 

Under this bill, local communities will not be able to deny cannabis licenses, and they would have limited ability to regulate the number and location of facilities selling cannabis. It also fails to provide financial resources to communities after legalization. I strongly believe that we should give local elected officials the power to limit access to cannabis as they best see fit for their constituents. Every community in our state is different and has individual needs.

Additionally, this legislation legalizes cannabis use for adults. But this leads to an important question: are there enough protections to ensure our children are not set on a path to develop potentially harmful habits?

According to the National Institutes of Health, people who begin using marijuana before the age of 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop marijuana use disorder as adults. Concerns are even higher after seeing how THC and edible cannabis are frequently designed to be a treat, and inherently attractive to kids. And further, according to Kaiser Health News, frequencies of exposure to marijuana among kids under five in Colorado nearly tripled in 2021.  

We have always passed laws to protect children from the harmful influences of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. This year’s bill to legalize marijuana, however, does not. This legislation fails to protect our kids, and instead, will allow drugs to be more readily available and accessible to minors.

I am in favor of decriminalizing adult cannabis use and expunging low-level cannabis crimes. However, I cannot support this proposal as it stands as it leaves key questions unresolved. This legislation fails to ensure safety in our communities, provide support to local communities, protect our kids, or give resources to those struggling with addiction issues.  

State Senator Julia Coleman