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criminal

justice

• Prohibition has disproportionately affected communities of color and put people in the criminal justice system unnecessarily.
   

• In Minnesota, black people are nearly EIGHT times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people, despite similar rates of usage.
   

• People who have been arrested, charged, or imprisoned for marijuana-related offenses have a harder time securing housing, jobs, loans, and stability for their families.

prohibition fails

• Prohibition has been a monumental failure. It has wasted billions of dollars in public resources, and has not kept marijuana out of consumers hands, away from children, or improved the safety of our communities.
   

• Not only has prohibition failed to accomplish any of its purported purposes, it has also created an incredible strain on our law enforcement and criminal justice systems.

economic opporunity

• Minnesota can use the hundreds of millions in revenue dollars that marijuana taxation will create to fund education, public safety, economic development, transportation, infrastructure, and more.
   

• The projected revenue from marijuana taxation in MN is estimated to be in excess of $300 million a year.
   

• The marijuana industry can create thousands of new jobs, including in areas of the state that most need new economic opportunities.

health & safety

• It is virtually impossible to overdose of marijuana.
   

• Rates of opioid addiction have plummeted in states that have legalized marijuana. We owe it to our vets, seniors, laborers, and other community members to make available a safe and effective alternative to opioids for pain management.
   

• Over three million prescriptions were written for opioid drugs in Minnesota in 2017, resulting in 2,037 non-fatal overdoses and 422 overdose deaths.