Minnesota is reportedly set to pay out “reparations” to communities that have been disproportionately affected by marijuana laws.
The “reparations,” as some are calling it, will be paid out as per a “CanRenew” grant program stuck into a new marijuana law that made the drug illegal to use, possess, and grow in the state starting as of August 1st.
“Starting in fiscal year 2026, the program will award $15 million a year to eligible organizations in communities that have high concentrations of people who were convicted for a marijuana offense or had family members who were convicted,” the Star Tribune reported Wednesday.
“Communities with large veteran populations, high poverty rates or that have been determined to have ‘experienced a disproportionately large amount of cannabis enforcement’ will also be eligible for the funding, according to the law,” the Minneapolis-based paper noted.
Today, recreational marijuana is now legal in Minnesota — while Wisconsin is now an island. The state remains an outlier nationally, with medical marijuana legal in 38 states and recreational marijuana legal in 21. pic.twitter.com/DcJ0e5do5a
— CBS 58 News (@CBS58) August 1, 2023
Even state Sen. Lindsey Port, the Democrat sponsor of the bill, has described it as “a form of reparation.”
“Direct harm has been done to communities by prohibition and by the state, and it is our responsibility to undo that harm. This is really our first major investment in doing that, and it should have the same kind of lasting effects that, unfortunately, the war on drugs has had on communities of color,” she told the Tribune.
CanRenew grants will reportedly be funded by the 10 percent tax that state lawmakers have imposed on all future marijuana sales.
“The state’s Office of Cannabis Management — which is still being formed — will distribute the grants to community organizations such as schools, nonprofits, private businesses and local governments in hopes of spurring development and prosperity,” according to the Tribune.
But obtaining the grant will not be an easy feat, as interested organizations must propose a solution designed to “improve community-wide outcomes or experiences” regarding economic conditions, public health, crime, etc.
“When we look at what is the most effective way the state can invest or disinvest in people, it is by investments we choose to make in communities,” Port said.
Not everybody agrees.
“The initiative will pay a total of $15 million to communities with a high population of convicted drug dealers. State politicians are calling this a reparations to these communities. How bad has America gotten that we’re paying reparations to drug dealers?” one critic tweeted.
See more criticism below:
What is the point in obeying the law? When the laws get repealed, you just get a pardon and a pay day, more incentive to commit crime.
— Goose Says Honk (@RichMahogany357) August 4, 2023
It’s so sad to witness the decline of my home state. It’s unbelievable what’s happening in Minnesota. And I didn’t vote for this just in case anybody wants to tell me “you voted for it”.
— LindaBird ☀️ (@lindabirdd) August 4, 2023
This is what happens when you tax your residents so high, there’s a $19 billion, yes BILLION, surplus and instead of giving decent tax breaks, they find “vote buying” excuses to blow it on.
— Biabia917 (@lisawillett17) August 4, 2023
America the beacon of hope to the nations has turned off the essence of a good society by making laws that would destroy it from within. How on earth do you pay reparations to those who are destroying your future?
— Douglas Iderima (@douglas_iderima) August 4, 2023
Why doesn’t the government give me money for doing the right thing all my life?
Why doesn’t the government even let me keep more of my money?
Why do they take my money and give it to degenerates and criminals?
Is this not immoral and unjust?— kaosblatte (@kaosblatte) August 4, 2023
According to the Tribune, the CanRenew program is in fact one of “a number of initiatives in the new marijuana law that seek to repair past harms.”
“Minnesota will also automatically expunge misdemeanor marijuana cases from residents’ records, and set up a Cannabis Expungement Board to review felony cases. Additionally, Minnesotans who meet certain ‘social equity’ criteria will be given preference for cannabis business licenses,” the Tribune notes.
Port, for her part, believes the program will mainly affect black people.
“Port said she anticipates much of the CanRenew grant money will go to community organizations in the Twin Cities metro area, which has a higher population of people of color,” the Tribune notes.
“Black Americans have historically been arrested and charged with marijuana crimes at much higher rates than whites despite both groups using marijuana at similar rates, numerous studies have shown. In Minnesota, Black residents were more than four times as likely to be arrested for marijuana crimes as whites in 2022, according to state data,” according to the Tribune.
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