A bill to legalise marijuana in Minnesota has been approved by a ninth House committee, moving it one step closer to the floor as a corresponding bill in the Senate also makes progress.
The bill proposed by Democrat Rep. Zack Stephenson and referred to the House Committee on Education and the Budget was approved by a voice vote this time.
Stephenson remarked in his introduction that “Minnesotans are ready for this transformation.” The existing cannabis restrictions in Minnesota are counterproductive, and people in the state should be allowed to make their own choices.
Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Port’s (D-Michigan) bill passed its sixth committee on Monday.
Officials from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, who have majorities in both houses of the legislature and the governorship this session, are sure that legalisation will be passed quickly after the thorough review of the issue by the committees.
The Governor’s Office has estimated that the State of California will collect millions of Dollars in Cannabis Tax Revenue once the reform is passed, and the Governor just submitted his biennial budget request, which includes proposed funds to implement marijuana legalisation and expungements.
In a recent interview, Governor Tim Walz (D) detailed his proposal, explaining why he is pushing for a tax rate on marijuana sales that is roughly double that of the bill moving through the legislature.
Former House Majority Leader and current MN are Ready campaign chair Ryan Winkler (D) introduced this version of the bill in 2021. Their plan to fight for the proposal and organise a grass-roots campaign to garner support for reform was disclosed last month.
The governor has sent out an email blast last month encouraging people to sign a petition in favour of legalising marijuana this session and has urged supporters to join lawmakers and the administration in their fight to legalise marijuana.
Rewritten laws currently making their way through committee are mostly in line with Winkler’s legislation, with a few significant differences arising from recently accepted amendments.
For instance, it expands the types of businesses eligible to obtain licences to sell “lower-potency edible goods” in accordance with Minnesota’s one-of-a-kind THC statute, signed into law by the governor last year.
To make sure stores that offer low-THC beverages and edibles aren’t displaced, licensees would have fewer restrictions placed on them and would be able to allow on-site consumption if they also hold a liquor licence.
Members of the House committee did not consider any amendments at the hearing on Thursday.
The Health Finance and Policy Committee of the House of Representatives will likely take up the bill next week. Also next week, the Senate version will be presented to the Health and Human Services Committee.
Here Are the Main Components of The Revised Marijuana Legalization Bills, HF 100 and SF 73:
It was legal for anybody over 21 to buy up to two ounces of cannabis and grow up to eight plants, with four of those plants being mature.
They were allowed up to two ounces in public and five pounds at home.
It would be legal for adults to exchange up to two ounces of marijuana as gifts without exchanging money.
Giving preference to candidates who demonstrate a commitment to social justice, it could help increase diversity in the licencing system.
Existing marijuana convictions would be sealed as well. The expungements and the vetting of candidates for relief would be handled by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
It is possible for cities and counties to run their own dispensaries, in addition to establishing a system of regulated cannabis enterprises.
The bill would legalise cannabis delivery services and allow for on-site consumption permits for special events.
Municipalities could regulate the hours of operation and the location of marijuana companies, but they could not prohibit the firms from functioning, unlike in many legal states.
At the store level, cannabis sales would be subject to an 8% tax. Grants to help farmers would be funded along with programmes to help those struggling with substance abuse.
To oversee the industry’s oversight and licence distribution, a new Office of Cannabis Management would be set up. A Department of Social Justice would be established.
Priority licences would be given to applicants from social equity categories, such as those living in low-income areas or who served in the armed forces but lost their honour due to a cannabis-related infraction.
The updated legislation addresses a problem with existing laws that prevented liquor outlets from selling THC products.
According to standards enacted by the Board of Pharmacy last year, it also contains wording prohibiting synthetic cannabis.
The Human Services Policy Committee, the Workforce Development Finance and Policy Committee, the Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee, the State and Local Government Finance and Policy Committee, the Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committee, the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee, the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee, and the Commerce Finance and Policy Committee all approved the bill in recent weeks.
So far, the following Senate committees have given their approval: Transportation; Environment, Climate, and Legacy; Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development; Jobs and Economic Development; Commerce and Consumer Protection; Judiciary and Public Safety; and the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.
The state’s ex-governor, Jesse Ventura, testified in favour of the reform and shared his story of violating the law to procure cannabis for his late wife so that she could treat her severe seizures at a Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee hearing.
Legislators and the governor are hopeful that legalisation will be passed this session because Democrats now control both houses, whereas they only did so in the House in the previous session.
As soon as they secured victory in November’s election, Democrats resolved between themselves to hold an internal discussion on the matter.
While reiterating that it “will take a long time” to pass through the legislature, House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) recently stated that she anticipates cannabis reform to be included in the governor’s future budget request.
Hortman has called marijuana reform “a priority,” despite the fact that it was left off the Democrats’ list of legislative goals announced last month.
The governor had requested funds for legalisation to be implemented in his last executive budget, but lawmakers were unable to pass the proposal. In spite of this, he and Hortman have divergent views on how quickly the subject may progress this session, with Walz recently claiming it will be done “before May” and the speaker hinting it could take until next year.
To Marijuana Moment, Winkler said last month that he agreed with the governor and that “it seems likely that [passing legalisation] will be done by May.”
“The issue is because the legislature adjourns until next year at the end of May,” he explained, “so if they don’t finish it in that timeline, it’ll take another full year.” “Thus, it’s in the best interest of all parties involved to see that this measure passes.”
A majority of Minnesotans, according to two surveys published in September, are in favour of legalising marijuana for recreational use, and an even larger majority, according to another poll, supports the state’s decision to allow THC-infused edibles, which was passed earlier this year.
A study performed by House officials at the State Fair and released in September also revealed widespread support for legalisation. Sixty-one per cent of Minnesota adults agree with legalising cannabis in a poll commissioned by the legislature.
When the House Public Information Services polled fairgoers in 2021, just 58% said they supported the idea. With regards to legalising, a 2019 House poll revealed 56% approval.
