OUR PRINCIPLES & OBJECTIVES

MN is Ready brings together the largest and most diverse coalition of cannabis policy stakeholders in Minnesota – including industry members, aligned advocacy groups, community advocates, and other supporters – to engage grassroots constituencies and work directly with lawmakers to pass full adult-use cannabis legalization in 2023 consistent with the following shared principles and objectives:

• Support Minnesota businesses. We want a Minnesota-first cannabis industry that benefits our local economies, craft businesses, and workers. We do not want to create a market that is easy for big companies to take over.
  

• Invest in racial equity. We want those communities disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition to participate in the success of the legal marketplace. We want businesses started and run by people of color to thrive in this market.
  

• Establish statewide standards. We want a single, well-regulated cannabis marketplace. We do not want a patchwork of local regulations that will guarantee the illegal market for cannabis continues.
  

• Eliminate barriers to a legal market. We want to create a successful, legal cannabis market that eliminates the illegal market. We want regulations and taxes to be reasonable so that the legal industry can compete against the illicit market.
  

• Expunge criminal cannabis records. We cannot ignore the long-term harm caused by criminal convictions for cannabis. We need to expunge the records of those who have been convicted of non-violent cannabis offenses and help individuals and communities heal from injustice of prohibition.
  

• Address real risks. We cannot ignore that cannabis does create some risks. We want taxes paid by cannabis users to fund reality-based drug education, impaired-driving detection, chemical dependency treatment, and mental health recovery.