In May 2021, lawmakers and Gov. Tim Walz approved approval of raw/flower cannabis — including smoking — for adults 21 and older, expanding regulations for caregivers. Unfortunately, lawmakers have not increased the number of medical cannabis companies. The entire state is served by only two manufacturers, each with four pharmacies. On May 13, 2021, the Minnesota House of Representatives voted 72-61 to legalize cannabis! It was the first time that either house of the state legislature voted in favor of legalizing cannabis. O`Reilly, James, et al. Legal Guide to the Business of Marijuana: Cannabis, Hemp, and CBD Regulation. New York: Practicing the Law Institute, 2021. (Ref KF3891. M2 O74 2021) Kevin Sabet, CEO of the anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, called it an « embarrassing mistake » for Minnesota. FOX9 Minnesota House of Representatives Democrats push for marijuana legalization — again « There hasn`t been enough clarity in our laws to ensure that consumers who buy these products are safe, » said Maren Schroeder, policy director of Sensible Change Minnesota, which supports marijuana legalization.
« We`ve talked a lot about what`s exciting and what`s not, and we really need to quantify that somehow. » Callaghan, Pierre. « Why Federal Regulations Are Likely to Keep Legitimate Gun Owners Out of Minnesota`s Medical Cannabis Program. » MinnPost, October 26, 2021. That`s a slight increase in support among viewers, as when the same question was asked in 2021, 58.3% said they were in favor of legalization and 34.1% were against. Click here to read the Adult Cannabis Act (introduced February 1, 2021). Support for legalizing recreational marijuana and sports betting appears to be growing, at least among attendees at the 2022 Minnesota State Fair. Callaghan, Pierre. « New medical marijuana rules in Minnesota could quadruple the number of patients in the program. » MinnPost, October 15, 2021. In an interview with WCCO Radio on Friday, Walz confirmed the conversation, hinting that Ventura would be invited to the signing ceremony, as Ventura was one of the first governors in the country to support legalization. Walz has long been a proponent of legalizing adult-use recreational marijuana. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a legalization bill during the 2021 session in which several Republicans voted yes, but the GOP-controlled Senate never voted for it.
The legalization of marijuana has been a controversial issue in the Minnesota legislature for years. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill last year that would allow anyone 21 or older to legally purchase and possess the drug, but the GOP-controlled Senate has strongly opposed legalizing recreational activities. Nevertheless, a legalization provision was passed without debate or objection at a marathon meeting of the conference committee in May. In August 2019, Governor Tim Walz announced that he had asked state authorities to prepare to implement policies related to the legalization of cannabis. Several bills were introduced during the 2019-2020 session that would legalize or otherwise amend the laws surrounding the possession and use of cannabis in Minnesota, including a proposal to establish a cannabis task force to examine legalization issues in more detail (see HF717). While the issue sparked much debate, none of the bills to legalize recreational marijuana were passed during the 2019-2020 session. The discussion continued in the 2021-2022 session, when bills to legalize recreational marijuana (e.g., HF600) were reintroduced. The inquiry, conducted by the House Office of Public Information Services, a non-partisan body, is an informal, unscientific inquiry into issues that have been discussed in previous Parliaments and could be discussed again in 2023. This year`s survey was conducted by 7,110 visitors to the show, a significant increase from 2021, when 5,231 people participated in the survey, reflecting the overall increase in visitors to this year`s show. Bring me the news Here`s what`s in the DFL`s legalization bill for recreational marijuana In December 2021, the Board of Pharmacy released a report outlining some ongoing legal considerations regarding the sale of products containing CBD or other cannabinoids in light of the Minnesota Court of Appeals` decision in State v. Loveless. In March 2022, the Pharmacy Council voted to clarify some of these legal considerations and clarify that hemp products containing traces of delta-9 THC do not violate the Controlled Substances Act.
They noted in the session papers that « the committee`s executive director is working with legislators and staff from the Ministries of Agriculture and Health on legislation that would also `solve` the potential problem created by Loveless. » Johnson, Brooks. « Minnesota agencies, the CBD sellers, are heading for a battle next year: consumer safety, market access are at stake as companies and regulators seek to change the rules for hemp products. » Star Tribune, December 24, 2021. A majority of those (61.4%) who participated in the House`s annual poll said they supported recreational marijuana use among those 21 and older, while 30.2% opposed legalization and 8.4% were undecided or had no opinion on the issue. Ventura, who supported legalization when he served from 1999 to 2003, announced on his podcast earlier this week that Walz called him the day after his re-election and said he now expects that to happen. Ventura, an independent who generally has no support, supported Walz against Republican Scott Jensen. Consumers seem excited about the new market for edibles and intoxicating beverages, and reversing the change would prove highly unpopular given the strong support for marijuana legalization in Minnesota and nationwide. Backhus, Ken. [Criminal sanctions for] Possession of marijuana. St. Paul, MN: Senate Counsel, 2021. « This stuff is there, » Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, a Democrat who led the state`s legalization, said in an interview.
« The authorities are not doing anything to regulate it. So we had to find a way to deal with a kind of Wild West of THC sales. Dills, Angela et al. The Impact of Marijuana Legalizations in States: 2021 Update. CATO Institute, 2021. Bierschbach, Briana. « Patients celebrate `big win` in adding cannabis flowers to Minnesota`s medical program: A major expansion of the medical marijuana program could reduce costs for patients. » Star Tribune, June 13, 2021. House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, a Democrat who has lobbied for marijuana legalization, said Abeler and other GOP lawmakers should have been fully aware of the implications of the hemp provision. Jackson, Zoë. « The recreational marijuana bill is back on Capitol Hill in Minnesota: DFL lawmakers will reintroduce the proposal, which faces lengthy odds. » Star Tribune, February 1, 2021. Winkler, the majority leader in the House of Representatives, did not run for re-election.
But he is drafting a new version of a law to legalize recreational activities that passed the House in 2021, even though the measure has gone nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate. WDIO`s DFLs are reintroducing the regulations, rules and guidelines of the Cannabis Legalization Act: Legislation – Substances derived from hemp. Minnesota Pharmacy Council, 2021. (KFM5774.5.M3 S73 2021) Callaghan, Peter. « Equality, Taxes and Criminal Justice: Minnesota`s recent attempt to legalize recreational marijuana is more than the legalization of marijuana. » MinnPost, February 5, 2021. And what has developed so far is a particular experiment in quasi-legalization – one that has led cities and counties to put safeguards around the fledgling industry and raised public health and safety concerns. State and industry officials admit that few major problems have arisen since the beginning of the legalization experiment. However, public health experts are concerned that the new adult-to-regulate market will do little to reduce the risk of unsafe products being ingested by ignorant consumers. And lawmakers face calls from across the ideological spectrum to provide legal clarity on the cannabis program when they return to Capitol Hill next year. Outrageously, however, the Republican majority in the Minnesota Senate refused to grant the bill (HF 600) or its Senate companion, even a committee hearing or vote — both in 2021 and when the bill was deferred to 2022. Every Republican senator voted against a motion to give a vote to the Senate bill.
The legislature adjourned and the legalization laws died for the year. Local advocates, often with MPP support, have petitioned the Minnesota Office of Medical Cannabis to add qualification requirements. As a result, the program has slowly developed. The state added refractory pain in 2015, followed by PTSD in 2016, obstructive sleep apnea and autism in 2017, Alzheimer`s disease in 2018, chronic pain in 2019, and sickle cell disease and chronic motor or vocal disorder in 2021. As of May 2022, the District of Columbia and 19 states – Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington – have legalized cannabis for specific recreational purposes. (South Dakota approved a measure to legalize recreational marijuana in 2020; the South Dakota Supreme Court declared the measure unconstitutional in November 2021.) In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis. Most states that have legalized recreational marijuana have done so through an election initiative. In 2018, Vermont became the first state to legalize cannabis through the legislative process. Regulations vary from state to state, with some states like Washington and Colorado taxing marijuana and setting up retail environments, and other states like Vermont simply allowing residents to grow and possess marijuana in certain amounts, but not sell it.