![](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-35.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
A bill to legalize marijuana in Minnesota has been approved by its final House committee and will now advance to the floor.<\/p>\n
The road to get to this position has been long and winding, with 12 panels hearing and voting on the measure since it was introduced in February.<\/p>\n
House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (D), Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and other lawmakers filed the proposal, which would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to eight plants, four of which could be mature.<\/p>\n
Members of the House Ways & Means Committee approved the legislation in a 16-10 vote on Friday.<\/p>\n
Winkler previously said that he expects a floor vote this month, though that has yet to be scheduled. The legislature is slated to adjourn on May 17.<\/p>\n
The bill \u201chelps to correct wrongs that have been done for too long in Minnesota to communities who\u2019ve been over-policed who have been targeted for cannabis enforcement to further a prohibition of cannabis that does not work,\u201d the majority leader said in opening remarks.<\/p>\n
Winkler said that \u201clegalizing and creating a safe marketplace by taxing cannabis and using the proceeds from those taxes to pay for cannabis regulation to help invest in a cannabis industry\u201d would reflect \u201cthe values of Minnesotans and help to address the harm that is caused by cannabis prohibition on our black and brown communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe panel adopted an amendment<\/a> from Winkler that expands the definition of social equity applicants to include those from communities disproportionately impacted by prohibition and makes changes to how regulators would address rules violations by businesses. It would also revise the amount of funding for various state agencies, including a reduction in appropriations for the Department of Corrections. A proposal<\/a> to require that the label on marijuana products include information about the maximum dose that is considered safe within a 24-hour period was also approved.<\/p>\n An additional amendment<\/a> that would have required marijuana products to be labeled with a warning that cannabis remains illegal under federal law was rejected.<\/p>\n Prior to taking up the legalization bill, members adopted an amendment to separate budget legislation that would provide funding for the implementation of the cannabis program for the first biennium, after which time marijuana tax revenue would more than cover costs.<\/p>\n It the measure does clear the full House chamber, it\u2019s still expected to face a significant challenge in the Republican-controlled Senate, where lawmakers have signaled that they\u2019re more interested in revising the state\u2019s existing medical cannabis program than enacting legalization of adult use.<\/p>\n That said, a GOP member of the Taxes Committee, which approved the legalization bill on Wednesday<\/a>, indicated that he felt an amendment he introduced and that was adopted could bolster Republican support.<\/p>\n That revision from Rep. Pat Garofolo (R) directs remaining cannabis revenue to a tax relief account after implementation costs are covered and substance misuse treatment and prevention programs are funded.<\/p>\n \u201cThe adoption of this amendment is a gamechanger,\u201d Garofalo said in a press release. \u201cThe Democrat majority accepting this amendment means that if signed into law, this bill will result in lowering taxes Minnesotans are FORCED to pay, financed with the revenue generated from taxes that people are CHOOSING to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n Before the Taxes Committee, the bill passed the Health Finance and Policy Committee<\/a>, Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee<\/a>,\u00a0Education Finance Committee<\/a>,\u00a0State Government Finance and Elections Committee<\/a>,\u00a0Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee<\/a>, Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee<\/a>, Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee<\/a>, Workforce and Business Development Finance and Policy Committee<\/a>, Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee<\/a> and\u00a0Commerce Finance and Policy Committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s official: for the first time in Minnesota history, the full House will vote on cannabis legalization & expungement.<\/p>\n The House *will* pass this bill \u2014 but we\u2019re going to need all of you to get it through the full #mnleg<\/a>.https:\/\/t.co\/ZZ80kBvee0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ryan Winkler (@_RyanWinkler) May 7, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cAt the beginning of the year, a House committee had never passed a legalization bill. Now, we\u2019re on the verge of passing a bill off the House floor,\u201d Winkler said in an email<\/a>\u00a0to supporters on Friday. \u201cWe have the ability to change laws in a way that improves people\u2019s lives, whether it\u2019s expunging cannabis-related records, targeting economic opportunity for those impacted most by the war on drugs, providing relief for veterans suffering from PTSD and serious health conditions, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 The litany of committees the bill has gone through makes it perhaps the most thoroughly vetted legalization measure to move through a state legislature\u2014and it means that a solid portion of the House has already had the chance to review, propose amendments to and vote on the legislation it as it advances to the floor, presumably increasing its chances of passage in the chamber.<\/p>\n The majority leader\u2019s bill as introduced was identical to a proposal he filed last year, with some minor technical changes. Winkler, who led a statewide listening to gather public input ahead of the measure\u2019s introduction, called it the\u00a0\u201cbest legalization bill in the country\u201d<\/a>\u00a0at the time. It did not advance in that session, however.<\/p>\n Under the legislation, social equity would be prioritized, in part by ensuring diverse licensing and preventing the market from being monopolized by corporate players. Prior marijuana records would also be automatically expunged.<\/p>\n On-site consumption and cannabis delivery services would be permitted under the bill. And unlike in many legal states, local municipalities would be banned from prohibiting marijuana businesses from operating in their areas.<\/p>\n Retail cannabis sales would be taxed at 10 percent. Part of that revenue would fund a grant program designed to promote economic development and community stability.<\/p>\n The\u00a0bill<\/a>\u00a0calls for the establishment of a seven-person Cannabis Management Board, which would be responsible for regulating the market and issuing cannabis business licenses. It was amended in committee month to add members to that board who have a social justice background.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Cannabis retails sales would launch on December 31, 2022.<\/p>\n Gov. Tim Walz (D) is also in favor of ending marijuana prohibition, and in January he called on lawmakers to pursue the reform as a means to\u00a0boost the economy and promote racial justice<\/a>. He did not include a request to legalize through his budget proposal, however.<\/p>\n Walz did say in 2019 that he was\u00a0directing state agencies to prepare to implement reform<\/a>\u00a0in anticipation of legalization passing.<\/p>\n Winkler, meanwhile, said in December that if Senate Republicans don\u2019t go along with the policy change legislatively, he said he hopes they will\u00a0at least let voters decide on cannabis<\/a>\u00a0as a 2022 ballot measure.<\/p>\n Heading into the 2020 election, Democrats believed they had a shot of taking control of the Senate, but that didn\u2019t happen. The result appears to be partly due to the fact that candidates from marijuana-focused parties in the state\u00a0earned a sizable share of votes<\/a>\u00a0that may have otherwise gone to Democrats, perhaps inadvertently hurting the chances of reform passing.<\/p>\n In December, the Minnesota House Select Committee On Racial Justice adopted a report that broadly details race-based disparities in criminal enforcement and recommends a series of policy changes,\u00a0including marijuana decriminalization and expungements<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wisconsin Governor\u2019s Marijuana Legalization Proposal Stripped From Budget By GOP-Led Committee<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Clears 12th And Final House Committee, Advancing To The Floor<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A bill to legalize marijuana in Minnesota has been approved by its final House committee and will now advance to the floor. The road to get to this position has been long and winding, with 12 panels hearing and voting on the measure since it was introduced in February. HouseContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":47597,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47596"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47596"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47598,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47596\/revisions\/47598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\nMarijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,100 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-34.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\nRead More: Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Clears 12th And Final House Committee, Advancing To The Floor<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"