Minnesota House of Representatives Approves Adult-use Cannabis Legalization
The Minnesota House recently passed an adult-use cannabis legalization bill.
Democrat-controlled Minnesota House of Representatives approved a recreational cannabis legalization bill in April 2023. The legislation passed in a bipartisan vote, 71-59 (1) and will now advance to the Senate, which could hold a hearing on the bill.
The Democratic Farmer-Labor (DFL), the Minnesota-specific affiliate of the national Democratic Party, holds a majority in both chambers of the Legislature and in the governor’s office.
Governor Tim Walz supports the bill and will sign it into law if it reaches his desk.
If the cannabis legalization law succeeds in the Senate and Walz signs it into law, Minnesota would then become the 23rd state in the US to legalize recreational adult-use cannabis. The bill was first introduced in January 2023 and has gone through thorough review, including various hearings and votes in 16 committees.
If this new legislation becomes law, MJBiz mentions that it would (1):
- Establish an Office of Cannabis Management, which would set precise rules for licensed cultivation, manufacturing, and sales, including fees and any license caps.
- Set a state gross-receipts tax of 8% and ban local taxes.
- Allow controversial hemp-derived cannabinoids in finished edibles products but ban so-called “artificially derived” cannabinoids such as THC-O (2).
- Direct a state agency to give cash grants to nonprofits that would be steered toward cannabis microbusinesses in the form of startup loans and job development.
- Allow adults 21 and older to possess up to 2 ounces of cannabis in public and up to 1.5 pounds at home and cultivate up to four mature flowering plants.
- Assess civil penalties against violators of the law, such as anyone selling without a state license. Penalties would be assessed on a sliding scale depending on the amount sold.
References
Ep 24, Part I: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Khan
November 21st 2024Evan Friedmann interviews Yasha Khan, co-founder of MCR Labs, about his journey into the cannabis industry and his efforts to promote transparency and integrity in laboratory practices. Yasha discusses the origins of MCR Labs, which began in Massachusetts to meet the needs of the soon-to-be legal medical cannabis market. He explains the challenges faced, including result manipulation by labs and the impact on public health. Yasha's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) project aimed to gather testing data from 37 states, revealed significant discrepancies in potency and mold results. Despite some states' reluctance to share data, Yasha has made much of this data public, leading to collaborative research and publications on various aspects of cannabis testing.
Senate Committee has released the text of 2024 Farm Bill, with changes to hemp regulations
November 19th 2024The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry has introduced the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, which will serve as the Senate’s draft for the 2024 Farm Bill.
Ep 23, Part III: Accreditation in the Cannabis Industry with Susan Audino
October 24th 2024In Part III of this episode, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Susan Audino, PhD, founder of S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC, and co-founder of Saturn Scientific, LLC, to examine the complexities of sampling in the cannabis industry, emphasizing the need for proper sampling plans, and methods.
