All Army Veterans Now Qualify For Minnesota's Social Equity Program And Medical Marijuana Is Available For Any Condition

Minnesota regulators made dozens of changes to the state cannabis law, including adding all military veterans to its social equity program. Adding the veterans will vastly expand the pool of social equity applicants for cannabis business licenses, considering that as many as 327,000 army vets live in the state, writes Minnesota Reformer. 

These changes were passed by the Legislature at the end of this session, but are still pending Governor Tim Walz's (D) signature. 

Other also be considered to be social equity applicants include people previously convicted of marijuana-related offense or their family members and those who live in disadvantaged areas. Prior to these amendments, the only military veterans allowed to apply included disabled or dishonorably charged for cannabis offenses as well as current and former National Guard members.

Lawmakers included a provision making social equity applicants eligible for pre-approval and providing some of them a chance to start cultivation earlier. The idea is for social equity applicants to have their products on the shelves before traditional applicants. 

See Also: Can Cannabis Growers Sell Their Excess Marijuana Without A License? Some Say Yes And Will Go To Court To Claim Their Right

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Medical Marijuana For Any Condition & More 

Another important change made by lawmakers includes relaxing the current medical marijuana laws by enabling patients to obtain medical marijuana cards for any condition at a physician’s discretion. Previously only patients with specific conditions like cancer, HIV/AIDS, or glaucoma were eligible for medical marijuana treatments. 

Minnesota Post highlights other important changes to the law, such as: 

• Licensing by a random lottery-based system;  
• Caps on the number of licenses provided to cultivators, producers and retailers,  
• The transfer of the Office of Medical Cannabis to the new Office of Cannabis Management in July instead of next March;  
• Enabling bars and restaurants to serve both THC and alcoholic beverages to the same person, if the person is not visibly intoxicated;
• Allowing medical marijuana patients to assign a caregiver to home-grow plant on the patient's behalf if they are unable to do it by themselves;
• Exemption to license limits for cities and towns seeking to open municipal marijuana shops;  

"I feel really good about where we ended up," Sen. Lindsey Port (D), the lead Senate sponsor, said after the bill’s language was approved, writes the outlet. "The team at OCM has been doing great work to set the industry up for success, and I think this legislation gives them the tools they need."

"It also gives clarity about the licensing process for people who are looking to be a part of the industry while keeping our goal of an equitable, uniquely Minnesota market front and center," Port added. 

Now read: Nearly 58,000 Misdemeanor Cannabis Convictions Expunged Under Minnesota’s Marijuana Legalization Law

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