This month marks two years since Minnesota lawmakers passed the bill to legalize marijuana use and possession for adults 21 and older.

Commercial sales have taken a bit of time to get going. Outside of Minnesota tribal communities and the medical cannabis program, the retail space is still taking shape.

The initial licenses around cultivation, transportation, distribution and sales could be issued soon. Even then, it will take time for everything to shake out.

What might it look like and how will the market interact with established tribal operations? MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst discusses both with his guests.

Then, time is flying by at the Capitol. We’ll get an update on the budget deliberations a little more than two weeks from the retired adjournment.

Guests:

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• Melissa Olson is a reporter for the MPR News Native News Initiative and a contributor to the North Star Journey series. She is also an essayist and community archivist.   

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• Eric Taubel is the interim director for Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management.

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• Senate Finance Committee Chair John Marty, DFL-Roseville

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• House Ways and Means Committee Co-Chair Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska

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Gov. Tim Walz had his chance this week to assess the condition of Minnesota in a speech where he spent a lot of time focused on what the president is up to.

Had November’s election ended differently, Peggy Flanagan would have been the one delivering the State of the State address at the Minnesota Capitol.

Instead, the DFL lieutenant governor was seated beside Walz at this week’s speech. She’s running for the U.S. Senate in 2026.

Flanagan has competition for the DFL nomination. So how is she introducing herself and what sets her apart? She speaks with MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst.

Then, a look at President Donald Trump’s actions immigration. MPR News reporter Sarah Thamer explains how the get-tough immigration policies are impacting communities across the state.

Later in the program, a round up of the voices heard at the Capitol and a political reporter panel recaps the latest from the Legislature and the governor’s State of the State address.

Guests:

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• Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan

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• Sarah Thamer, senior reporter for the MPR News Race, Class and Communities team

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The Minnesota House and Senate chambers and all the committee rooms have been quiet this week while the Legislature is on recess.

The Capitol will be a busy place though as the dash-to-the-finish begins next week. That phase can be filled with strategy, hijinks and downright trickery.

In one respect, it’s how the Capitol wound up in St. Paul in the first place.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and associate digital producer Anika Besst will revisit that caper — and how one spurned city might finally get recognition.

Then, a hunt for the origins of a law that should keep imbibing lawmakers on their best behavior. If not, “habitual drunkenness” could get them removed.

Later, MPR economics contributor Chris Farrell looks at the way tariffs of long ago hit in Minnesota. Plus, Peter Cox talks about how a powerhouse baseball team that played more than a century ago could land a plaque at the Capitol complex.

Guests:

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• Anika​ Besst is an associate digital producer for MPR News.

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• Chris Farrell is a senior economics contributor for MPR News and Marketplace.

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• Peter Cox is a general assignment reporter for MPR News and is currently covering politics at the Minnesota Capitol.

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Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.