Minneapolis Mayor Will Take 'Permissive' Approach To Cannabis Sales, Support Local Businesses & Social Equity

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says the city will take a "permissive" approach to regulating its cannabis retail environment, and will avoid "unnecessary" restrictions or criminalization in this major Minnesota city.  

On Tuesday, as cannabis legalization went into effect across the state, the city provided an outline discussing how officials will set up its cannabis sales and what has been done already.

"I've always said we need to have a system in place where recreational cannabis use is thoughtful, responsible, regulated, and legalized — and that's where we're now headed," said Mayor Frey in a news release, reported the Star Tribune.

Along with avoiding unnecessary restrictions, the city will "welcome and support a wide array of local small business and retail owners" as part of its approach to cannabis retail.

While recreational cannabis possession and use are now legal, no one has been licensed to sell it yet except for the Red Lake Nation tribe in north-central Minnesota, which began selling cannabis products bright and early Tuesday morning, August 1 at their NativeCare dispensary.   

Minneapolis and the rest of the state, meanwhile, is aiming to have cannabis regulations in place by January 2025, which lines up with the state's timeline for commercial sales and for having the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management fully operational.

Following the passage of the cannabis legalization bill in May, making Minnesota the 23^rd fully legal state in the nation, Frey created a work group to formulate the city's approach to legalization. 

Per the new legislation, Minneapolis will be required to oversee issuing retail registrations to state-licensed cannabis businesses and to conduct compliance checks, which the work group has been looking into, according to the Mayor’s press release.

Social Equity For Those Affected By Drug War

Frey said he will prioritize people most harmed by the war on drugs to ensure that they will be able to participate in the legal cannabis marketplace. The city will also place an emphasis on social equity and criminal justice, especially for Black and Brown people, the release states.

Cities and suburbs across Minnesota are still figuring out how they will handle their cannabis regulations. Some are passing, or say they will, temporary moratoriums on cannabis businesses that will last until state regulations are created and cities have enough time to craft their own rules.

Meanwhile, Minneapolis Mayor Frey took the first step by committing to open the door to legal cannabis and to not overthink nor over-police the new industry.

Photo: MN Is Ready Twitter page