MN HF600 Testimony

Hello my name is Angela L’Esperance, I am a tax accountant and an entrepreneur. 

I am in support of House File 600 for a few reasons.  For starters, I have Celiac Disease which has over 300 symptoms associated with it.  The Mayo clinic here in MN completed a study that proved that the THC in cannabis helps protect a Celiac’s body from the damage gluten causes, though legally I cannot get medical cannabis in the State of MN because MN doesn’t consider this autoimmune disease to be a qualified ailment.  Some of the major symptoms of Celiac Disease include extreme gut pain, inability to absorb nutrients, weight loss, foggy brain, migraines, and insomnia which all dramatically affect my quality of life and ability to work.  Legalizing adult use in MN would give me access to regulated cannabis that my body needs to heal and be healthy.  This is just one example of where cannabis can be used for medicine but is not readily available to those who need it.

Another reason is, legalizing will help boost the economy.  Cannabis has no doubt thrived during Covid.  We are currently losing revenue to the illicit market and to other states that have legalized.  IL made about $580M in net revenue its first year. CA brought in about $345M and Colorado $250M in tax revenue in 2020.

We also have an opportunity to restore justice in black and brown communities that have been negatively impacted by the war on drugs.  IL is currently sitting on $62M that is earmarked for helping minority businesses and neighborhood development.  In the past couple of years, we have witnessed how unjust our country is.  Legalizing cannabis can help pave the road to restorative justice which can help heal our underrepresented communities that have been severely damaged by the war on drugs.

There are 15 states that have legalized and that we can look to for guidance.  We can learn from the good and the bad.  With the right policies in place and the right people in line, I strongly believe MN can succeed & benefit from legalizing cannabis for adult use.

Thank you!