The proposed adult-use bill introduced on January 5, 2023 is here. Although the Minnesota House passed a similar bill in 2021 after more than a dozen committees reviewed it, this is the first time Minnesota’s had a Senate majority that is open to legalization. A ninth Minnesota House committee has approved the bill on Thursday 2/16 to legalize marijuana—meanwhile, on the Senate side, the legislation that’s being carried by Sen. Lindsey Port (D) cleared its sixth panel on Monday 2/13. The governor recently released his biennial budget request, which included proposed funding to implement marijuana legalization and expungements, and made projections about the millions of dollars in cannabis tax revenue that his office estimates the state will earn after the reform is enacted.

With majorities in both the House and Senate and control over the governorship this session, Democratic-Farmer-Labor party officials are confident that legalization will be enacted in short order following the extensive committee consideration. The current legislation is an iteration of the 2021 House-passed bill from former Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (D). Much of the revised bills that are advancing through committee are consistent with Winkler’s legislation, though there are a few key changes, in addition to the newly adopted amendments. For example, it adds a new license category for businesses that sell “lower-potency edible products” under Minnesota’s unique THC law that the governor signed last year. There would also be reduced regulatory requirements for those licensees, and they’d be able to permit on-site consumption if they have a liquor license, which is meant to ensure that shops currently selling low-THC beverages and edibles don’t face disruption.

The bill’s next stop in the House is the Health Finance and Policy Committee, which is expected to take up the proposal next week. The Senate version will go to the Health & Human Services Committee next week as well.

Here are the main components of the revised marijuana legalization bills, HF 100 and SF 73:

• Adults 21 and older could purchase up to two ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to eight plants, four of which could be mature.
• They could possess up to two ounces in a public place and up to five pounds in a private dwelling.
• Gifting up to two ounces of marijuana without remuneration between adults would be permitted.
• It would promote social equity, in part by ensuring that diverse licensing by scoring equity applicants higher.
• Prior marijuana records would also be automatically expunged. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension would be responsible for identifying people who are eligible for relief and process the expungements.
• In addition to creating a system of licensed cannabis businesses, municipalities and counties could own and operate government dispensaries.
• On-site consumption permits could be approved for events, and cannabis delivery services would be permitted under the bill.
• Unlike in many legal states, local municipalities would be banned from prohibiting marijuana businesses from operating in their areas, though they could set “reasonable” regulations on the time of operation and location of those businesses.
• Retail cannabis sales would be taxed at eight percent. Part of that revenue would fund substance misuse treatment programs, as well as grants to support farmers.
• A new Office of Cannabis Management would be established, and it would be responsible for regulating the market and issuing cannabis business licenses. There would be a designated Division of Social Equity.
• People living in low-income neighborhoods and military veterans who lost honorable status due to a cannabis-related offense would be considered social equity applicants eligible for priority licensing.
• The legislation as revised fixes an issue in current statute that prohibits liquor stores from selling THC products.
• It also contains language banning synthetic cannabinoids, which is consistent with Board of Pharmacy rules put into place last year.