A handful of Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota want to legalize marijuana for personal use, bringing an issue popular with progressive voters nationwide to a state where currently the law treats even alcohol with some suspicion.
"This is a conversation starter," Rep. Jason Metsa, DFL-Virginia, said Thursday, acknowledging the uphill battle for legalization.
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Rep. Tina Liebling, who joined Metsa and Reps. Jon Applebaum and Alice Hausman at a packed news conference, said prohibition is "costly, harmful and antiquated."
In 2015, Liebling said, law enforcement made 6,829 arrests for marijuana, which was 39 percent of all drug arrests.
