Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Sarah Walker, of the Second Chance Coalition, and Carin Mrotz, of Jewish Community Action, are among steering committee members for the newly formed group Minnesotans for Responsible Marijuana Regulation.
It hopes to build a statewide coalition in support of legislation to legalize recreational use, said founders Leili Fatehi and Laura Monn Ginsburg.
"People are very eager to join the conversation," Ginsburg said. The nonpartisan group is talking to legislators about introducing legalization bills — maybe later this month.
A list of 10 priorities released last week by House Democrats did not include marijuana legalization.
The group also will host educational events around the state. "A lot of the early work that we're going to have to do is fact-based" and will address misinformation about marijuana's risks, Fatehi said.
A website, mnisready.org, will be part of outreach efforts.
DFL Gov. Tim Walz supports legalization and has said that taxes on recreational marijuana could help pay for addiction services and substance-abuse education.
Ten states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for recreational use by adults over 21. A Pew Research Center survey conducted last fall found that 62 percent of Americans support legalization.
