Everyone is talking about pot these days, thanks to new laws in a handful of states and a shift in public opinion in favor of legalizing the drug. The U.S. Justice Department has announced policy changes to relax enforcement in states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana and to assure banks that they will not be punished for offering financial services to legitimate marijuana-related businesses. Earlier this year, a bill was introduced in Congress to end the federal prohibition. Despite these changes nationally and Minnesota’s reputation as a liberal state, Minnesotans have been slower to embrace cannabis -- even while enrollment in the state's new medical marijuana program opens in July. In these slides, we use data to explore the relationship between the people, the state and the leafy green plant.
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A changing landscape↻Marijuana's legal status has quickly transformed in various ways across the country as associated medical and economic benefits become increasingly accepted.Marijuana illegal Medicinal cannabidoil legal Medicinal marijuana legal Recreational marijuana legal *DecriminalizedSource: NORML
Minnesota passed a medical marijuana law in May 2014, joining about half the country in allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients, though recreational sales and use remain illegal. Four states and the District of Columbia have additionally legalized marijuana for recreational use.
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Medical marijuana: What’s allowed, what isn’t?
8 marijuana dispensaries serving 87 counties
No cannabis smoking allowed
Liquids, oils and non-leaf vapors allowed
Pill consumption allowed
Only for the terminally, seriously or chronically illQualifying Conditions-Cancer associated with severe or chronic pain, nausea vomiting, cachexia or severe wasting
-Glaucoma
-HIV/AIDS
-Tourette Syndrome
-Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
-Seizures, including those characteristic of Epilepsy
-Severe and persistent muscle spasms
-Multiple Sclerosis
-Crohn’s Disease
-Terminal illness
Minnesota’s eight planned medical cannabis dispensaries are scheduled to begin opening by July. The state has one of the nation’s strictest medical marijuana programs, allowing only seriously ill patients to ingest concentrated marijuana in edible or vapor form, but prohibits smoking. Initial patient enrollment in the program has been very low -- 65 as of June 26, 2015 -- currently far short of the state's 5,000-patient estimate for the program’s first years.
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Lingering opposition to full legalizationNational - November 2014Minnesota - February 2014Not Sure No, don't legalize it Yes, legalize itSource: Gallup, Star Tribune Minnesota Poll
In nationwide surveys, a majority of those polled support the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. In a poll of Minnesotans conducted by the Star Tribune in February 2014, most said they were opposed to legalizing recreational pot.
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Prosecutions and convictions on the riseSource: Supreme Court of Minnesota
Despite changing attitudes and legal status, authorities across Minnesota filed 44,910 cases including felony or misdemeanor marijuana charges between 2010 and 2014. The number of case filings and convictions rose each year during that period.
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Marijuana enforcement by countySource: Supreme Court of Minnesota, Minnesota State Demographic Center, Star Tribune analysis
The rate of cannabis prosecutions per 1,000 people between 2010 and 2013 was largely consistent in counties across the state. However, some northern counties have higher rates due to drug trafficking activity.
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Increased enforcement among citiesSource: Supreme Court of Minnesota
The number of cases filed by police departments in Minnesota’s major cities increased between 2010 and 2013, with some departments steadily filing more cannabis-related cases each year during that period.
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Petty citations declining in MinneapolisSource: Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, NORML, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, Supreme Court of Minnesota, VIBES
Marijuana has long been decriminalized in Minnesota, meaning those carrying less than 42.5 grams may be conditionally discharged for a first offense. Despite rising felony and misdemeanor cases statewide, petty possession arrests in Minneapolis have declined. Black people were arrested for petty possession up to three times more often as whites.
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Racial disparities persistPopulation81.9%Cases57.3%Source: Supreme Court of Minnesota, U.S. Census Bureau, Star Tribune analysis
Blacks and Native Americans represent disproportionate percentages of cannabis cases filed in Minnesota relative to their overall percentage of the population, while whites are under-represented.
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A slower march toward acceptance in MidwestDo you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not? Regional support for legalizing marijuana (% Yes, should be legal)Source: Gallup
While attitudes toward legalizing marijuana have shifted quickly and dramatically nationwide, poll data shows Midwestern opinions have been less consistent than other regions. But strong support in the East and West may portend increased support for legal medical and recreational marijuana further into the interior of the country.
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Data Sources
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes - 152.01 DEFINITIONS, CHAPTER 311--S.F.No. 2470NORML - Medical Marijuana, State LawsCredits
Data Analysis and Visualization
Jeff Hargarten
Data Requests and Collection
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