Governor Tim Walz indicated Wednesday that any package to legalize recreational marijuana in Minnesota should also erase the criminal records of low-level marijuana offenders — i.e, those who weren’t dealers and didn’t commit any other crime. Walz says, “For us I think it’s foundational that that needs to be part of this… that expungement of those records…. It’s no secret to anyone in here, there’s a racial component to this that is causing some pretty catastrophic problems.”
Republican leaders were not immediately available for comment. Many law enforcement community leaders warn that legalizing marijuana for recreational use will lead to more addiction, abuse of more powerful drugs and a resulting increase in crime.
Walz’s comments: