The House could vote on a bill to legalize pot in Minnesota as soon as Wednesday, now that the conference report is finalized and signed.
Rep. Zack Stephenson, the House sponsor of the measure, announced late on Tuesday that the non-partisan staff had processed the 320-page report following Monday’s final bi-cameral negotiation.
Please remember that the House must allow the report of the conference committee to be on the desk for at least 12 hours before it can vote. The Senate will vote on it and then the Governor will sign off.
Zack Stephenson May 17, 2020 HTML0
After being signed, the legislation had to be in the House at least 12 hour before it was put up for vote. Stephenson said that now that the time period has passed it is “theoretically possible” that the vote could take place on Wednesday. However, he added that “almost definitely” it won’t be that quick because the budget bills currently have priority.
The Senate will vote on the final report if the House approves it.
The House and Senate will vote on the bill later in the week (or perhaps over the weekend). WILL. FINALLY. PASS!
Zack Stephenson May 17, 2020 HTML0
The measure will be sent to Governor, who has promised to sign it if the measure is passed through both chambers a second time. This must occur by May 22, the end of the legislative session.
A conference committee was formed because the House and Senate cannabis legalization bills had been separately amended during a lengthy committee process. They needed to be united before they received final votes.
The conference committee report ccrhf0100 published 11:48 PM is at https://t.co/Uldff4TACb #mnleg
Revisor of Statutes May 17th, 2023
Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers point 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 bill that the House of Representatives passed in 2021. Former Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, (D), is now the campaign chairman for the advocacy coalition MN Is Ready.
Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat from Minnesota, has asked supporters to join the legislature and administration in their efforts to legalize marijuana in this session. He circulated a January email blast encouraging people to sign the petition.
These are the main components in the final marijuana legalization legislation, .
Adults 21 years and older can purchase and possess up to 2 ounces of marijuana in public. They are also allowed to grow up to 8 plants at home. Four of them may be mature. In their homes, people could have up to 2 pounds of marijuana.
Adults can give each other up to 2 ounces of marijuana for free.
The licensing process and the sales of adult-use cannabis are expected to take between 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, prior marijuana records will also be automatically expunged. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will be responsible for identifying those who qualify for relief and processing the expungements. The Cannabis Expungement Board will also have to identify misdemeanor crimes that are eligible for expungement but were not automatically cleared, and notify the courts in order to process clemency.
Municipalities and counties can also own and run government dispensaries in addition to creating an entire system of cannabis businesses.
The bill allows for cannabis delivery services and on-site consumption permits to be granted at events.
Local governments will not be able to ban marijuana businesses in their area, but they can set “reasonable regulations” on time and location. They may also limit the number of cannabis licenses issued based on the population size.
The state will impose a standard sales tax of 6.875 percent plus a 10 percent gross receipts tax.
Eighty percent of the revenue would be deposited in the general fund, with some money earmarked to fund cannabis businesses and substance abuse treatment programs. Twenty percent would be distributed to local governments.
The Office of Cannabis Management, which would regulate the market and issue cannabis business licenses, would be created. A designated Division of Social Equity would be created.
The legislation will promote social equity in part by rewarding equity applicants with higher scores. Social equity applicants would include people who live in low-income areas and veterans who have lost their honor due to cannabis-related crimes. Also eligible are people convicted of cannabis crimes or those who have a family member with a similar conviction.
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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 have approved the bill include 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.
Democrats agreed internally to discuss the issue as soon as possible after their November election victory.
A poll released last week found 64 percent of Minnesota voters are in favor of a regulated market for marijuana, including 81 % of Democrats and 49 % of Republicans.
Two surveys released in September showed that the majority of Minnesota residents support the legalization of adult-use marijuana. One survey also revealed that more Minnesotans approved of the state’s decision to legalize THC infused edibles, which was implemented 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 Tuesday, , the legislature passed 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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Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
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