The state of Minnesota became the twenty-third state in the country on Tuesday to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults, which will go into effect on August 1 after Democratic Governor Tim Walz ratified the rule.
The measure will allow people over the age of 21 to carry up to two ounces of cannabis flower in public, and to have two pounds at home.
Likewise, judicial records of previous convictions for minor crimes related to the use of marijuana will be eliminated, and the creation of a board will be established to review convictions for more serious crimes.
Similarly, the legislation establishes the creation of an office to manage cannabis, which will regulate the sale of marijuana products in the state.
The measure was approved on Tuesday after having bipartisan support in both state chambers, which are controlled by Democrats.
“What we know now is that the ban doesn’t work. We have criminalized a lot of people,” Walz said at the ceremony to ratify the signing of the measure, CNN reported.
In this way, Minnesota becomes the 23rd state in the country to allow the recreational use of marijuana. Meanwhile, 38 states, including Washington DC, and overseas territories, use is permitted for medical reasons, said the Natural Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
The recent state measure occurs after, in October 2022, President Joe Biden apologized to those convicted at the federal level for possessing marijuana, through an executive order.
However, most cannabis possession convictions occur at the state level, prompting the Biden Administration to ask governors nationwide to legalize use.
With information from the EFE agency