Saint Paul, Minnesota. On Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 3:30 pm, supporters of legalization of responsible adult-use marijuana gather to support reform of marijuana laws on 420; inside the Minnesota State Capitol.
Featured speakers include legislators from both Democratic and Republican sides of the aisle. And this symbolizes the progress that the legalization movement has made over the decades since the founding of NORML in 1970.
In the 1970s, April 20 events were focused on protest and civil disobedience. Legalization seemed a long way off.
420 Today
But on 420 in 2022, sixteen states now have legal adult-use marijuana. And 36 states now have legal medical marijuana. So though Minnesota is behind; we are now surrounded by free states South Dakota, Canada, and nearby Illinois and Michigan. See the Pew Research polling findings from April 16, 2021: Americans overwhelmingly say marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical use.
With legalization increasingly within reach in Minnesota, Minnesota NORML’s April 20 event at the Capitol has grown up. Though Minnesota NORML since its founding in 2011 has rejected civil disobedience at its annual 420 events; the movement as a whole has mostly transformed from adolescent rebellion against injustice, to powerful actions to finally end Prohibition.
As Thomas Gallagher, Minnesota NORML Board Member commented today: “We once were a tiny minority of sane voices for Liberty. But now we are the majority of Republican and Democratic voters. And so we’ve left civil disobedience behind. Now, we have the power. Let’s close the deal.”
And at the 420 event at the Capitol, we feature both Republican and Democratic legislators as speakers, supporting some degree of marijuana law reform.
Three categories of legislative reform
This year at our 420 event, we highlight several bipartisan Bills introduced in the 2021 legislative session, to reform marijuana laws, in three categories:
- Responsible Adult Use Legalization; to destroy the illegal, underground market and the ills of Prohibition. HF 600 – SF 757.
- Medical Cannabis Program Reform; adding Raw Cannabis, Improving Accessibility for the sick and disabled. HF 2128 & HF 1078 & SF 1358.
- Small Amount Decriminalization Fix-It Bill; make a “small amount” a real petty misdemeanor; and include “the resinous form” in the “”small amount definition. HF 1355 – SF 2348.
420 Quotes:
Pat Bradley, Vice-Chair of Minnesota NORML said “It’s our goal to have cannabis regulated no more than Beer and Wine.”
Kurtis Hanna, Co-founder of RAMP Minnesota: “We support the end of cannabis prohibition in Minnesota, a policy that has caused so much harm to the things Conservatives value most, namely individual responsibility, limited government, compassion, and economic opportunity.”
Oliver Steinberg, Grassroots Legalize Cannabis Party: “Prohibition is the problem, not cannabis.”
About Minnesota NORML: Founded in 2011, Minnesota NORML is the Minnesota Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which was founded in 1970 in Washington, D.C. And Minnesota NORML has organized 420 rallies since 2011.
420 Event Co-Sponsors and Allies:
RAMP.mn – Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition Minnesota
And Minnesota NORML local subchapters in:
- Rochester
- St Cloud
- Mankato
- Saint Paul
- Carver County
- Chisago County
- Duluth Area
- Minneapolis
- Bloomington
- Anoka County
As well as affinity groups:
- Minnesota NORML Rainbow League
- Minnesota NORML Vets
We hope to see you at our 4-20, 2022 rally to end cannabis Prohibition at the Capitol.
Want to help end Prohibition? Join Minnesota NORML as a dues paying member.