Minnesota Bill to Change Cannabis Law Moves to Governor

As Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis market takes off, the omnibus cannabis policy bill that updates the legislation is on its way to Governor Tim Walz.

The Senate voted along party lines, 34-33, on May 17 to pass the conference committee report, and the House voted, 80-50, on May 18 to also pass the cannabis policy agreement.

This session’s omnibus cannabis policy bill attempts to address a number of concerns raised by the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prior to the start of adult-use sales, which many had thought would occur in early 2025.

OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel told committee conferees on May 17 that the office now has more than 100 people focused on their core mission: fostering an equitable cannabis industry that prioritizes public health and safety, consumer confidence and market integrity.

“This bill has provisions that touch on each of those sort of broad categories within the mission statement,” Taubel said, outlining the OCM’s recommended changes to the state’s application process, licensing rollout, social equity qualification standards, and medical cannabis telehealth and remote consultation opportunities, among other provisions.

More specifically, the legislative tweaks would:

  1.create a lower-potency hemp wholesaler license;

  2.allow people who had an adjudicated cannabis-related sentence to be social equity applicants;

  3.allow vendors to provide samples at cannabis events;

  4.allow manufacturers in Minnesota to export low-potency hemp products out of the state that aren’t compliant in Minnesota;

  5.allow testing facilities to begin testing while in the accreditation process; and

  6.allow a beverage to be one serving with no more than 10 milligrams of THC.

Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids), the House sponsor, said they prevailed on including most of the House’s provisions in the reconciled bill with the Senate.

“There’s a lot of provisions in this bill that I think are important and significant and will help move our nascent cannabis marketplace forward in Minnesota,” Stephenson said.

Rep. Nolan West (R-Blaine), who collaborated with Stephenson on the House bill, pointed out that Ohio legalized cannabis six months after Minnesota in 2023, but Minnesota doesn’t yet have a licensed adult-use cannabis store. The bill moves Minnesota closer to a legal and safe market.

“We could do a lot better. Thankfully, this bill does help. We have a hopelessly convoluted regulatory system based on this fantasy that you can create a craft cannabis market based on government regulation,” he said.

The Senate sponsor, Senator D. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls), refers to it as “a big win” for the Senate. Sen. Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls), meanwhile, claimed that the 2023 law’s promises to legalize cannabis for adult use had not been fulfilled and that this year’s cannabis bill lacked provisions that would have protected consumers. Senate proposals to mandate cannabis packaging labels to warn that youngsters shouldn’t ingest cannabis products were left out of the accord.

Walz signed the bill legalizing cannabis for adult use in 2023. It is expected he will sign the legislation to update the state’s cannabis law. 

The news is sourced from Minnesota Legislature