Ever since Colorado allowed the legal sale of weed five years ago and the Minnesota Legislature said yes to medical marijuana two years later, a full-throated debate over full legalization in this state has seemed to be a question of when, not if.
An answer is emerging: 2018. Five of the six most active DFL candidates to succeed the retiring DFL Gov. Mark Dayton have said they favor legalizing marijuana for more than medical use. Only State Auditor Rebecca Otto says she’s opposed.
Per usual in a culture war skirmish, the Republicans in the race are lining up on the other side. All four of the top announced candidates say they oppose legalizing pot.
My bet: That difference won’t be campaign background noise. It’ll be an everyday talking point, with each side employing it in the belief that it can usefully distract voters from messier matters while inspiring them to go to the polls and smite the culturally clueless opposition.
I base that prediction on observations both ancient and recent. Through the years, Minnesotans have been as prone as other Americans to get revved up and choose up sides over matters like religion, race, reproduction, guns, gender roles, immigrant assimilation and, quite often, intoxicants.
[...] “A lot of people in our generation realize that the prohibition of marijuana is a failed policy,” agreed DFL gubernatorial candidate and state Rep. Tina Liebling, [...]. “It’s definitely true that a lot of younger people want this changed. But support for legalization is broader than we might think.”
Liebling would know. Among the five DFL candidates for governor who want pot prohibition ended, she’s the one to have introduced a bill to that effect in the Legislature. She’s an attorney from Rochester who says she has seen in her criminal defense work the detrimental impact of the nation’s war on drugs on people’s lives.
“I’m not saying that marijuana is harmless,” Liebling said, who added that she’s not a user herself. “But there are a lot of things in life that are not harmless that we allow to be sold.” Legalization would bring a number of benefits, she said. “People could know what they are buying, where it came from and how potent it is. I believe we could also do a better job of keeping it away from kids.”
[...] Liebling cited estimates that Minnesotans are already spending a jaw-dropping $700 million a year buying pot on the black market, where there is no age limit on sales.
And where there are no taxes paid. Last year, Colorado collected $200 million in tax revenue on marijuana sales.
[links in original] And as with abortion, the Repbulicans who give lip-service to freedom and liberty, are aligned against yet another liberty of free choice. Go figure that. Words can confuse, policies are clear.
After learning more about Liebling, her early and steadfast backing of the Bernie Sanders presidential bid, and visiting her campaign website, she is who I intend voting for during caucusing DFL [while actually an independent unless/until the party renounces superdelegates and moves off the dime to the left of Republican lite]. And if there is a primary with Liebling in it, she'd have my vote there also.
Becky Otto, before Thissen announced, was an early choice, but her wrong straddle on legalization along with Thissen's entry into the contest and learning more about Liebling puts her in third place in my outlook. She'd be a fine governor, nobody can really doubt that, but so would Liebling or Thissen - indeed anyone who could fog a mirror and not be Republican would do. But the three, Liebling, Thissen, and Otto seem sound - Otto's primary appeal - to me and perhaps others - being who her enemies in the DFL are starting early in the alphabet, at "B" to late in the alphabet, "T." (hint: Home, Home on the Range)
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Earlier Strib April 2, 2017, reporting on Liebling's announcing her candidacy, here; Liebling's Wikipdia page, here; and Liebling's campaign website:
https://www.tinaliebling.com/
ISSUES: https://www.tinaliebling.com/issues
VOLUNTEER: https://www.tinaliebling.com/volunteer
DONATE: https://www.tinaliebling.com/donate
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Tina Liebling and Husband, Dr. Mark Liebow |
Last; see the sidebar LIEBLING item, click the image and read - ON THE ISSUES LIEBLING RINGS A PERFECT TEN!