Minnesota Will Pay Reparations… for Weed

Are there any historians, professional or armchair, in the ranks of the PJ Media readers? I am trying to figure out exactly when America’s Upper Midwest lost its mind. By my reckoning, it happened sometime in the 90s, right around when Garrison Keillor became a hit on NPR. All of a sudden, Minnesota was the place to which all good Lefties turned for their cultural cues.

I remember this because I was an NPR/PBS fan at the time and all of their merch catalogs featured items from Minnesota. Despite being a true believer, even I couldn’t figure out why Minnesota was the new “cool thing,” aside from all those “Lake Woebegon” stories. I’d be interested to see if someone could shed some light on the issue. The reason I ask is because whatever happened to turn Minnesota (and Wisconsin) into bastions of liberal thought worked like a charm. By way of evidence, I offer the latest development out of Minnesota. The state is planning to pay reparations for marijuana users who were unjustly impacted by “prohibition.”

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the “CanRenew” grant program will start in fiscal year 2026 for the state. The program is a grant that was part of the recreational marijuana law that was passed by the state. It will allocate $15 million per 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.” State senator Lindsey Port, who sponsored the marijuana bill, told the paper:

This is 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. 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.

The paper said that the grants will go to “project[s] or program[s] designed to ‘improve community-wide outcomes or experiences,’ including efforts to boost economic development, public health, violence prevention, youth development or civil legal aid.” Sounds vague enough for the requisite amount of unchecked, unaccountable spending and abuse. Incidentally, the program will be handled by the Office of Cannabis Management. The paper noted that the program is part of several efforts under the new marijuana law that “seek to repair past harms.” Minnesotans who have misdemeanor cases involving weed will automatically have these cases expunged, and there will also be a Cannabis Expungement Board that will review felony cases. And anyone who meets the “social equity criteria” will have preference when applying for a cannabis business license.

No word if any funds will be earmarked for Doritos and pizza.

Related: ‘Not Enough’: Chicago Suburb Begins Paying Reparations to Black Residents

The move is not exactly meeting with universal approval. Via American Wire:

Just In: Minnesota is initiating a new program that will legalize marijuana and pay reparations to drug dealers and the communities they’ve destroyed.

The initiative will pay a total of $15 million to communities with a high population of convicted drug dealers. State… pic.twitter.com/e3NdPlejYS

— 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_in_Flint) August 4, 2023

Responses to that tweet included:

• “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.”
• “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”.
• “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.”
• “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?”
• 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?

All of the above comments are relevant. But it is also noteworthy that the state legislature is doing all it can to encourage the use of pot among its citizens. Apparently, the government is now the opiate of the masses.