With cannabis legalized, Twin Cities partygoers celebrate end of ‘prohibition’
People across the Twin Cities let out a breath of air on Tuesday – both in relief and with a cloud of smoke. It was the long-awaited first day that it was legal to possess and use cannabis recreationally in Minnesota (for adults 21 and older).
“Today in Minnesota, we have lifted a prohibition that should have been lifted many, many years ago. But better late than never,” said former Gov. Jesse Ventura, speaking at a cannabis legalization event in downtown Minneapolis.
It was one of many celebrations where people gathered to be in community. MPR News went to two parties to ask people: what does today mean to you?
Celebrating at a ‘canna-bar’ in St. Paul
On Tuesday afternoon, people gathered for a party at Potshotz, a bar in St. Paul that sells drinks infused with hemp-derived THC like the cleverly named Mary Jane Champagne. It kicked off with reggae music and an area on the patio reserved for people to smoke cannabis.
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“People who have had to smoke pot in a closet for the last 30, 40 years are now able to come out and enjoy something publicly,” said David Tolchiner, owner of Potshotz and the neighboring Midway Saloon.
“It's actually cool because then people can stop going to jail for, stop getting tickets for weed that's actually grown in the earth,” said St. Paul resident and partygoer Charles McNish, who talked about friends and family criminalized for weed. “It should have been legal a long time ago. I mean, I understand the Republican side, but I mean, weed’s been here before actually law even started.”
Among those celebrating on the sunny patio was Marty Super. A board member with Minnesota NORML, he began advocating for cannabis legalization in 2010 when his wife was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor.
“To get rid of the nausea, we went to the doctor every week and he kept trying different drugs. Most of them had terrible side effects. They kept getting more and more expensive. And marijuana worked better than any of them. And the only side effect was that it made her feel better for a few hours. And when you're dying and sick, that's kind of important,” he said.
Super said the legalization of recreational use is “only one step until it's on parity with alcohol and tobacco,” defining parity as “you could grow as much as you want, you can possess as much as you want; there should be no felonies involved in selling or possessing.”
The historic day also drew friends Kenzi Sullivan and Ian Pongratz from Wisconsin.
“It represents just the ability to choose how you want to spend your time and the ability to make that decision for yourself rather than have that being censored for you,” said Pongratz. He hopes Wisconsin legalizes cannabis soon.
Minneapolis shuts down to light up
First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis was decked in green. People wearing T-shirts bearing marijuana puns hugged and laughed in the street outside, which was closed for the celebration. They smoked joints and took hits from bongs into the night, while speakers inside commemorated the end of “prohibition.”
“I'm smoking weed and hanging out with politicians. We're having a good day,” said Darrell Paulsen, smiling under his LED weed cap.
Paulsen said he has used marijuana medically for over 30 years. He was one of many people on Tuesday to say legalization of recreational cannabis allows them to feel less anxious about consuming it outside.
“There's more like a peace of mind … You don't got to be so paranoid or whatever, you know? Just safety,” said 22-year-old Sariel Sanchez. He said he was previously concerned about being jailed.
Nosha Edwards expressed her hope that people with weed-related charges have their records cleared, a process the state is beginning now. She wants to establish her own cannabis business and looks forward to seeing how cannabis tax dollars can be re-invested in communities.
“I just feel like it's a really good thing for the state,” she said.
The outdoor festivities featured over a dozen local business selling THC drinks and CBD products, as well as a “cannabis consumption area” where cannabis enthusiasts shared flower, edibles and more with each other.
Inside, DFL politicians shared the stage with activists, cannabis entrepreneurs and a man formerly incarcerated for possessing weed.
“All of you showed up to fight to say we wanted to change the world, and this is what it looks like to be that change you want to see in the world,” said State Rep. Jess Hanson, DFL-Burnsville.
The evening continued with musical performances, including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s musical debut with the band Marijuana Deathsquads, who that night performed as Ilhan Omar and the Music Rockers.
Vendors indoors promoted Black-owned and local businesses. Questions of who will get to benefit from legalization seemed top of mind for both celebrants and politicians as they stood on the precipice of a new era for Minnesota.
“Keep the money in Minnesota,” Ventura said to a cheering crowd. “Buy Minnesota grown. Buy Minnesota produced. Buy Minnesota endorsed.”
Due to federal law, all cannabis sold in Minnesota must be grown here.
Ventura returned to the political limelight to help push for cannabis legalization. Now, he flirts with what to do next.
“I've been thinking maybe I need to run for president to legalize it federally. Because if I were the president, there would be no federal cannabis laws. They would be gone,” he said, to cheers from the crowd.
