Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Mpls)
There’s far from agreement on a new Minnesota law that reduces sentences for some non-violent drug offenses. Democratic Senator Jeff Hayden from Minneapolis says it gets at the core issue and is “much more effective and rehabilitative than sending people to jail.” But Republican Representative Tony Cornish from Vernon Center responds backers tried to make it look like all drug offenders are doing it only to feed their addiction. He says, “We heard from law enforcement that that’s not true, and in a lot of the cases they’re out there, criminal activity and to make money, and aren’t even users.” But Cornish says even if Republicans control both the Minnesota Senate and House after the next election, they’ll likely leave the new law in place “for a while” so they can get more data about what needs to be done.