The Governor of Minnesota signed a bill legalizing marijuana. This makes Minnesota the 23rd U.S. state to abolish cannabis prohibition.
After months of hearings in committees and votes on the floor, Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat from Minnesota, signed off on the HF 100 bill on Tuesday as he had previously promised.
Walz stated, “This journey has been long and involved many people.” “We know that prohibition doesn’t work. We’ve criminalized many people who will start the expungement procedure on these records.
It’s going take some time for us to get it up and running. He said that we’d be hiring people to manage this. “But I assure Minnesotans, a lot has been thought into this.” We incorporate a lot of what we’ve learned from other states into our approach, and the thoughtfulness surrounding this legislation is a good guideline.
Minnesota is the 23rd State in the country to have legalized adult-use marijuana.
— Governor Tim Walz 30 May 2023
With the signature of the Governor, marijuana cultivation and possession will be legalized in the State on August 1. Regulators expect it to take between 12-18 months for a commercial sale system to be launched.
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura was in attendance at the bill signing on Tuesday. He is a long-time cannabis reform advocate who has given passionate testimony during legislative hearings about obtaining medical marijuana illegally to treat his wife’s severe epilepsy.
“This was an important day for our family because the prohibition is now over. He said that the prohibition against a plant created by God has been in place longer than he had lived. “We were told that everything was available for us to use. After years of prohibition, we can now use this plant in Minnesota.
He said, “We did not want other families to have to endure what my wife and I had gone through.” “Now they won’t have to, because the prohibition on cannabis will be lifted today.”
Lindsey Port, the Senate’s author of the bill (D), said: “I am thrilled to be with you today as we place the period in the sentence of this piece of legislation.” “I’m really proud of Minnesota for taking a new step and trying something.”
She said, “We are trying to do it in a unique way to Minnesota. We’re looking at the realities of Minnesota. We’re looking at the entrepreneurial spirit. We’re also looking at reinvesting into communities that have suffered. And, most importantly, we put the expungement part front and center to ensure that we undo some of the damage that we did as a State through the prohibition on cannabis.”
Rep. Zack Stephenson, the House sponsor said, “While Minnesota may be the 23rd State to legalize marijuana, I believe we’ve passed a bill that Minnesotans should be proud of.”
He said, “We have built a model for Minnesota that I believe will be very successful. Minnesotans should be pleased with the outcome of our work.”
Bill was signed just a little over a week following the passage of the bill by the House and Senate. The bill had recently been finalized by the bicameral Conference Committee.
The House and Senate passed different versions of the legalization bill by Stephenson and Port. However, they required the conference committee resolve the differences between the two measures before they could reapprove them.
The legislative session is ending on Monday, so lawmakers had to work quickly to complete the task. The governor quickly signed the bill.
The state started building the infrastructure even before the signing. First, it launched a website for a cannabis regulatory agency , which will oversee the program, but won’t be technically established until July. Next, an notice was released to solicit vendors who can facilitate licensing.
Democratic-Farmer-Labor legislators are pointing to the achievement on cannabis reform as a direct result of voters putting the party in the majority in both chambers after last year’s election.
The bill that passed both chambers was an updated version of the 2021 House Bill, which was introduced by former Majority leader Ryan Winkler, (D), now serving as campaign chair of the advocacy coalition MN Is Ready.
Walz called on supporters in the state to join the lawmakers and administration in their efforts to legalize marijuana in this session. He circulated an email in January encouraging people to sign the petition.
The main components of the final marijuana legislation bill, the HF 100.
Adults 21 years and older can possess up to 2 ounces in public. They will also be allowed to grow up to 8 plants at home. Four of these can be mature. In their homes, people can have up to 2 pounds of marijuana.
Adults can give each other up to 2 oz of marijuana for free.
The licensing process and the regulated sales are expected to begin in 12-18 months. From March 1, 2025 existing medical cannabis businesses will be able to receive new combination licensing that allows them to enter the adult-use market.
In August, certain marijuana misdemeanors will be automatically expunged. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is responsible for identifying those who qualify for relief and submitting them to the courts for processing. The newly formed Cannabis Expungement Board, which will consider felony cannabis crimes for relief and possible sentence reductions for those who are still incarcerated, will also be able to review felony cannabis convictions.
Municipalities and counties are allowed to own and operate government-run dispensaries in addition to having a licensed system of cannabis businesses.
Cannabis delivery services and on-site consumption permits will be allowed under the bill.
Local governments are not allowed to ban marijuana businesses in their area, but they can set’reasonable’ regulations about the hours of operation and the location. They can also limit the number of cannabis licenses according to population size.
The state will impose a 10 percent gross receipts tax, in addition to its standard sales tax of 6.875 percent.
Eighty percent of the revenue will be deposited in the general fund, with some money earmarked to fund cannabis businesses and substance abuse treatment programs. Twenty percent will be distributed to local governments.
The Office of Cannabis Management, which will regulate the market and issue cannabis business licenses, will be created. A designated Division of Social Equity will be created.
This legislation will promote social justice, in part, by rewarding equity applicants with higher scores. Social equity applicants will include people who live in low-income areas and veterans who have lost their honorable status because of a cannabis-related crime. Those who are convicted of cannabis crimes, or have a family member with a similar conviction, may also be eligible.
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Before it was brought to the House floor, this bill had been vetted in numerous committees. The bill passed the Ways and Means Committee and Taxes Committee. It also passed the Transportation Finance and Policy Committee and Health Finance and Policy Committee.
The Senate committees who approved the bill were the Finance Committee, Taxes Committee, Rules and Administration Committee, State and Local Government and Veterans Committee, Labor Committee, Human Services Committee, Health and Human Services Committee, Transportation Committee, Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee, Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee, Jobs and Economic Development Committee, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, and Judiciary and Public Safety Committee twice.
Democrats agreed internally to discuss the issue as soon as possible after their November election victory.
A recent poll found that 64 per cent of Minnesota’s registered voters are in favor of regulating the marijuana market. This includes 81 per cent of Democrats, and 49 percent of Republicans.
Two surveys released in September showed that a majority of Minnesota residents supported adult-use marijuana. One survey also revealed that more Minnesotans approved of the state’s decision to legalize THC infused edibles, which was enacted by the state last year.
In September, a poll conducted by members of the House during the State Fair found that the majority also supported legalization. This legislature-run survey found that 61 per cent of Minnesotans support legalizing cannabis for adults.
The support for legalization was higher this year than in 2021 when the House Public Information Services surveyed fair-goers. The House poll in 2019 found that 56 percent supported legalization.
In Minnesota, however, the House passed a separate omnibus bill in the last month. This bill contains provisions that create a task force to prepare Minnesota for possible legalization.
On Friday, , the Governor signed a large-scale bill, which contains provisions that legalize drug paraphernalia, syringe service, residue, and testing. This is a victory for harm reduction advocates.
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