Cannabis political parties of Minnesota

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Cannabis political parties in Minnesota include the Grassroots–Legalize Cannabis Party (GLCP), the Independence Party, and the Legal Marijuana Now! Party (LMN). The Libertarian Party and the Green Party also advocate for marijuana legalization. In the past, other Minnesota cannabis-focused groups included the Grassroots Party, the Independent Grassroots Party, and the Reform Party. These parties have operated at the county level and in U.S. congressional districts. Today’s cannabis parties are often single-issue groups, with roots going back to the 1960s, though many also push broader marijuana-law reform.

Key players and history
- The Grassroots–Legalize Cannabis Party (GLCP) was formed in Minnesota in 2014 by Oliver Steinberg and allies who had previously started the Grassroots Party of Minnesota. The party gained ballot access in 2018 when a now-departed Attorney General candidate still appeared on ballots and received about 5.7% of the vote.
- The Grassroots Party, founded in 1986, ran candidates for state and federal offices and later expanded to nearby states. Notable figures included authors, activists, and artists who ran for various offices in the 1980s and 1990s.
- The Independent Grassroots Party (formed from a split in the Grassroots Party in 1996) ran a presidential ticket in 1996. Members later helped lay groundwork for the LMN Party in Minnesota.
- The Legal Marijuana Now! Party (LMN) emerged in 1998 from Minnesota activists who split from the Independent Grassroots Party. LMN emphasizes ends to federal cannabis prohibition, a regulated state market, and expungement of prior cannabis records. The party has grown notable support in Minnesota elections:
- 2014: LMN candidate for Attorney General won about 3% of the vote.
- 2018: LMN candidate for State Auditor won about 5%, securing automatic ballot access for the party.
- 2020: LMN’s U.S. Senate candidate received about 190,000 votes, the most for any third-party candidate in the nation that year.
- LMN expanded briefly into Nebraska in 2021, seeking to broaden its reach.
- 2022: Paula Overby, LMN’s candidate for U.S. Representative in Minnesota’s 2nd district, died shortly before the election; under state law her name remained on the ballot, and she still received votes.
- 2024: The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that LMN no longer qualified as a major party under a 2023 ballot-access law, meaning LMN candidates must petition to get on the ballot during a two-week filing window.
- The Reform Party, which later became part of Minnesota’s Independence Party, was active in promoting cannabis reform. Jesse Ventura ran as Reform Party governor in 1998 and won in a three-way race; he served as governor from 1999 to 2003 and spoke about hemp and cannabis reform during his campaign.
- The Independence Party of Minnesota merged with the Alliance Party of Minnesota in 2020 to form the Independence-Alliance Party.

Broader context
- The Grassroots Party and other cannabis-focused groups sometimes faced opposition from within the political mainstream, including the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). In elections, analysts have debated whether third-party cannabis candidates help or hinder major-party outcomes in swing districts.
- In 2023, DFL chair Ken Martin criticized the ability of some cannabis-focused third parties to vet candidates effectively and supported raising ballot-access requirements. The Green Party, LMN, Libertarian Party, and even Ventura opposed raising the threshold, while Minnesota’s Legislature and Governor raised the major-party ballot-access bar to 8% starting in 2024.

Current landscape
- Active or historically active cannabis political parties in Minnesota include the Grassroots–Legalize Cannabis Party, the LMN Party, the Grassroots Party, the Independent Grassroots Party, the Reform/Independence path, and broader parties like the Libertarian and Green parties that advocate legalization. These groups have used Minnesota’s counties and congressional districts to contest elections and push for cannabis-legalization and related reforms.