It’s Time For Minnesota To Legalize It

I once went to jail for setting off fireworks at a park on the Fourth of July.

Ok, there's more to the story than that. My buddies and I got some fireworks from Wisconsin when I was 19 years old then we went to a park in Lakeville to set them off.

A cop showed up and gave us all a ticket for fireworks and for being in a park after hours. I went to court and signed up for a payment plan that split my fine into four parts. I paid the first three, blew off the fourth, and when my buddy got pulled over for speeding a few weeks later they ran my ID and said I had a warrant for my arrest.

I was shocked and scared and had to call my mom to come bail me out. Lesson learned: you gotta pay your fines or you could actually be locked up, which is NOT fun!

Listen, it's time for Minnesota to legalize fireworks. Step outside in any neighborhood on the Fourth of July and you will see and hear many, many people shooting off fireworks. You probably won't hear a lot of sirens because police don't seem too concerned with it.

People can (and do) drive to North Dakota, South Dakota or Wisconsin to get their big boomers. Making them illegal, like Sunday liquor sales, doesn't stop people from getting the fireworks. It just forces them to spend their money and tax dollars in a neighboring state.

So, the time has come to legalize it. Set the people free!