Nine charts that explain the state of marijuana in Minnesota

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.