A slim majority of Minnesota voters support legalizing marijuana for recreational use, according to a new Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll.
The Minnesota Poll found 53% of voters think the state should legalize recreational marijuana, 36% oppose the change and 11% remain undecided.
The poll comes nearly a year after the Democratic-controlled Minnesota House passed a marijuana legalization bill, which Senate Republicans blocked from becoming law. In July, however, a new law legalizing edibles containing certain amounts of the psychoactive cannabis component THC took effect after Democratic lawmakers quietly pushed it through the Legislature.
Whether recreational marijuana will be legalized in Minnesota will depend on who wins control of the Legislature in November. DFL Gov. Tim Walz, who is also on the ballot, supports legalization; his Republican opponent, Scott Jensen, has said voters should decide on the issue via a constitutional ballot amendment.
The poll's findings are based on interviews with 800 Minnesota likely voters conducted from Sept. 12 to Sept. 14. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Greg Bossany, of Elk River, said he opposes legal marijuana because he's worried it would lead to more impaired drivers.
"It's not something that's heightening your sense of awareness, it's dulling it," said Bossany, 65. "There's so many dingbats out on the road nowadays that driving is hazardous enough the way it is."
The idea was most popular in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, though a majority of voters in northern Minnesota also voiced support for marijuana legalization. Women favored the change more than men.
