Minnesota\u2019s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) unveiled new draft marijuana rules on Wednesday as part of preparations for next year\u2019s formal launch of the newly legal industry.<\/p>\n
Longtime cannabis reformer Kurtis Hanna, for one, sees the approach as more reasonable than what\u2019s been rolled out so far in many other states.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is exciting to see OCM not simply duplicate the overly draconian rules used in some of the states which were early adopters of cannabis legalization,\u201d Hanna told Marijuana Moment. \u201cThe cannabis purchasing experience in Minnesota will feel much more like a liquor store purchase than in other states.\u201d<\/p>\n
One example he pointed to in the new draft rules is that retailers will not be required to have a separate, restricted area where customers\u2019 IDs are checked before they can enter a store. Rules for delivery drivers are also comparatively permissive, with drivers allowed to carry up to $3,000 worth of products to multiple delivery locations on a single trip.<\/p>\n
While drive-thru cannabis purchases aren\u2019t allowed under the draft rules, they appear to permit curbside pickup of orders made in advance, said Hanna, who works for the government relations and PR firm Blunt Strategies.<\/p>\n
Minnesota\u2019s cannabis laws make reference to nearly 70 different rules to be promulgated by OCM regulators, Hanna noted\u2014considerably more than most other states. Not only does that take time, but it also introduces the possibility for significant changes to the industry even after laws themselves are hammered out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe encouraging thing just seems to be\u2026that we\u2019re not necessarily mimicking the overly regulatory, heavy-handed approach to regulating this industry\u201d that\u2019s been seen in some other states, Hanna said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe other states will see Minnesota\u2019s rules as a sign that they should go back and look into whether they should be reducing some of the restrictions in their own state laws,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Hanna credited OCM\u2019s months of outreach to stakeholders and Minnesotans more generally. \u201cThey incorporated a lot of feedback that they solicited from the public,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Over the past year or so, OCM has released multiple public surveys on issues such as packaging and track-and-trace plans<\/a>; cultivation, processing and manufacturing<\/a>; pesticides, fertilizers and environmental controls<\/a>; and retail cannabis operations and sanitary standards<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n OCM has previously said it\u2019s encouraging public feedback \u201cto ensure the rulemaking process is accessible to the widest possible range of community members, advocates, and partners who want to help shape how the rules are drafted.\u201d<\/p>\n The new draft rules\u2014released as an 111-page document on Wednesday\u2014aren\u2019t yet final. With the release comes a 30-day public comment window, which is followed by an opportunity for regulators to make adjustments.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can decide to make edits based on the informal feedback that they get in the next 30 days,\u201d Hanna explained, \u201cand then it will proceed to the formal rulemaking, which does include a formal comment period.\u201d<\/p>\n In other words, there\u2019s still time to comment on the emerging proposal.<\/p>\n Shortly after the draft\u2019s release, OCM sent out a link to a feedback form<\/a> for people to weigh in on the plan. It will remain open through August 30.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not the official rules package, but rather a first draft in advance of the public comment period expected later this year,\u201d OCM said in the email<\/a>. \u201cThe first draft is based on substantial input OCM has received through surveys, meetings, and conversations that took place since last fall as well as OCM\u2019s review of Minnesota\u2019s cannabis statute and cannabis rules in other states.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile these draft rules may be informative for potential operators and consumers,\u201d the office added, \u201cthey may change as OCM goes through the formal rulemaking process.\u201d<\/p>\n OCM\u2019s general counsel, Eric Taubel, announced the release of the new draft rules at a legal conference Wednesday morning, according to local reporter Peter Callaghan of MinnPost, who described the news as \u201ckind of a big deal in the path toward launch of market.\u201d<\/p>\n MN Office of Cannabis Management general counsel Eric Taubel tells a CLE conference this morning that first draft cannabis rules will be posted later today. \u2014 Peter Callaghan (@CallaghanPeter) July 31, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n In a separate email<\/a> on Wednesday, OCM called the release of the draft rules \u201canother milestone among many achieved and more to come in our work to ensure a safe, equitable, and sustainable cannabis industry that will benefit Minnesotans across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n Later this year, the office will publish a notice of intent to adopt rules in the State Register. That will begin the formal comment period in the rulemaking process.<\/p>\n Final rules for the new industry aren\u2019t expected to be formally adopted until spring 2025.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, officials last week finally opened the state\u2019s marijuana business license application window<\/a>. The application window runs until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 12. Equity applicants will have an \u201cearly mover advantage,\u201d<\/a> OCM has said.<\/p>\n Hanna noted that the engagement by state officials marks a sea change since the prohibition era.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m familiar with the days when we were trying to pass medical cannabis in Minnesota, and the commissioner of the Department of Health was going around to every committee to stop the bill, was saying, \u2018Don\u2019t pass this bill. It sucks. We don\u2019t want cannabis here,’\u201d he recalled. \u201cSo it really does seem to be complete shift that has occurred in our state, and I\u2019m here for it.\u201d<\/p>\n In the interim, adults 21 and older can already legally use, possess and grow marijuana for personal use. In August, Gov. Tim Walz (D), who is currently being considered as a vice presidential running mate for Kamala Harris<\/a> on the Democratic ticket, clarified that homegrown cannabis cannot be sold commercially<\/a>.<\/p>\n Minnesota\u2019s cannabis law also allows\u00a0tribes within the state to open marijuana businesses<\/a>\u00a0before the state begins licensing traditional retailers, and some tribal governments have already entered the legal market. The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, for example,\u00a0opened its medical dispensaries to adult consumers in August<\/a>\u00a0and announced plans to launch a mobile retail vehicle to sell marijuana at locations across the state.<\/p>\n The White Earth Nation tribe also launched an adult-use cannabis shop, with its governing council\u00a0voting to authorize marijuana sales<\/a>\u00a0in July. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe has also moved to legalize.<\/p>\n Following legalization, minor violations of possession or home cultivation limits can result in petty misdemeanors, charges some advocates have said should include state-provided legal representation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even before the governor signed the reform bill, the state\u00a0launched a website that serves as a hub for information<\/a>\u00a0about the new law. Officials have also already started soliciting vendors\u00a0to help build a licensing system<\/a>\u00a0for recreational marijuana businesses.<\/p>\n In September OCM head Erin DuPree, a cannabis industry consultant whom the governor picked to lead the state agency<\/a>, stepped down after one day of work following a\u00a0Star Tribune<\/a>\u00a0report that her hemp shop allegedly sold illegal products. Lab results reportedly showed elevated THC levels and the presence of banned synthetic ingredients.<\/p>\n That same month, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that\u00a0the odor of marijuana, on its own, does not establish probable cause<\/a>\u00a0for police officers to search a vehicle.<\/p>\n Aside from OCM, another body created by Minnesota\u2019s marijuana law is the Cannabis Expungement Board, which will\u00a0facilitate record sealing for people with eligible marijuana convictions<\/a> on their records. The review process for eligible cases began in August.<\/p>\n As for business activity within the state\u2019s already-legal hemp industry, the first year of new tax collections on hemp activity brought in nearly $10 million in state revenue<\/a>. Some, however, believe that number fails to capture hemp sector\u2019s true scope.<\/p>\n Read the newly released Minnesota draft cannabis rules<\/a> below:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n This story was updated to correct the spelling of Kurtis Hanna\u2019s name.<\/em><\/p>\n Democratic Party Prematurely Claims Biden Has \u2018Reclassified Marijuana\u2019 And Ended \u2018Failed Approach\u2019 To Cannabis<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Minnesota Marijuana Regulators Release New Draft Rules For The Legal Cannabis Industry<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Minnesota\u2019s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) unveiled new draft marijuana rules on Wednesday as part of preparations for next year\u2019s formal launch of the newly legal industry. Longtime cannabis reformer Kurtis Hanna, for one, sees the approach as more reasonable than what\u2019s been rolled out so far in many otherContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77092"}],"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\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77092"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77093,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77092\/revisions\/77093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Kind of a big deal in path toward launch of market.<\/p>\n\n
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\nRead More: Minnesota Marijuana Regulators Release New Draft Rules For The Legal Cannabis Industry<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"