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Minnesota House
passes recreational
marijuana bill in vote
of 71-59

B Y W C C O S TA F F, C A R O L I N E
CUMMINGS
U P D AT E D O N : A P R I L 2 5 , 2 0 2 3 / 2 : 3 6
P M / C B S M I N N E S O TA

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota

House on Tuesday passed a 300-page
bill that would allow adults 21 and
older to buy, sell and use marijuana,
joining nearly two dozen other states
that have legalized the cannabis plant
for recreational use.

It passed Tuesday afternoon on 71-59

vote, with two Republicans joining all
but one Democrat in supporting the
proposal. Lawmakers started debating
it Monday night before adjourning and
resuming discussion the next day.

M I N N E S O TA H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N TAT I V E S

"Minnesotans deserve the freedom

and the respect to make their own
decisions about cannabis use. Our
current laws have failed," said Rep.
Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids,
who is the bill's author.

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The proposal would create a new state

O#ce of Cannabis Management,
tasked with oversight.
Minnesotans looking to cash in on
new business would apply for state
licenses to grow, manufacture or sell
marijuana at dispensaries. It allows a
person to keep 1.5 pounds of $ower in
their homes, grow up to eight plants
and have two ounces in a public place.

READ MORE: Talking Points:

Legalizing recreational cannabis in
Minnesota

The legislation—which is the

culmination of hours of testimony and
16 committee hearings—would also
automatically expunge low-level
cannabis convictions and set up an
expungement board to consider
felony o%enses. It's a move that
supporters say re$ects a core goal of
the bill: righting the wrongs of
cannabis prohibition that has
disproportionately harmed people of
color.

"Minnesotans have told us loud and

clear that prohibition is the problem
not cannabis," Rep. Jessica Hanson,
DFL-Burnsville, said Tuesday. "And
they expect us to bring an end to the
sinister days of prohibition and create
a safe, legal, regulated market that
promotes equity and reparation for
our errors of the past.

If the proposal is signed into law,

having cannabis for personal use, with
some limits, will no longer be illegal in
Minnesota by the summer. But setting
up the regulatory framework for
taxes, rules, and licensing of new legal
cannabis businesses will take at least a
year, Stephenson said.

Rep. Nolan West, R-Blaine, was one of

the two Republicans who voted yes
Tuesday, despite some issues he has
with the current language.

"The majority of Minnesotans agree

that the time to end marijuana
prohibition is here," West said during
a news conference Monday. "I'm
hopeful that Rep. Stephenson will
continue to work collaboratively with
the minority during conference
committee. Republicans stand ready
to work with the majority to ensure
that this legalization bill is what's best
for Minnesotans."

West expressed concern about the

ability of local governments to have a
say about where cannabis businesses
will operate in their communities and
the impact to existing hemp
businesses, which were authorized by
the legislature last summer to sell low-
dose edibles with THC in them.

This bill would bring regulation of the

THC edibles—which are not subject to
additional state taxes or licensing right
now—under the O#ce of Cannabis
Management. Under the House plan,
both hemp and marijuana would face
an 8% gross receipts tax in addition to
state and local sales taxes.

Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove,

believes the bill falls short on public
safety and worries about the impact of
allowing Minnesotans to use
marijuana legally before the state
o#ce tasked with oversight and all
business rules are implemented.

"The regulatory framework that this

majority continues to say is the selling
point for safety and testing and
everything will be packaged and
labeled— that's not going to be
available for a year if we're optimistic,
and I think that's crazy optimistic,"
Robbins said. "So the black market is
going to have a year and a half head
start on this."

The Senate is scheduled for a vote on

their own version of the bill on Friday,
but a joint panel of lawmakers will
meet in a conference committee to
sort out di%erences before session
ends next month.

Gov. Tim Walz intends to sign the bill

once it gets to his desk.

Minnesota would also become the

23rd state to legalize weed.

More details on what the bill

would allow for those 21 or older:

possess up to 2 ounces of
cannabis $ower in a public place
or 1.5 pounds in a person's
residence;
possess or transport no more
than 8 grams of adult-use
cannabis concentrate;
possess or transport edible
products infused with up to 800
milligrams of THC;
give away cannabis $ower and
cannabinoid products in an
amount that is legal for a person
to possess in public;
use cannabis $ower and
cannabinoid products in private
areas; and
cultivate up to eight cannabis
plants, of which four or fewer
may be mature, $owering plants.

In: Marijuana Cannabis Minnesota House

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First published on April 25, 2023 / 2:20 PM

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