Last Minute Moves Before Weed Goes Legal In Minnesota: GOP Wants Special Session, Sen. Responds To 'Crazy Accusations,' Tribes To Launch Sales

As Minnesotans count hours before they can posess and consume weed without fear of arrest, Republican state lawmakers are asking for some clarifications and changes in new rules that go into effect Tuesday.

What Happened: As many as 20 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Governor Tim Walz, House Speaker Mellisa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic on Friday, demanding a special session to discuss about certain matters of the new law taking effect August 1. The most important issue in question – will marijuana be legal for children and teenagers.

"Marijuana use among children and teenagers is a serious problem," the letter reads. "Adding to our concern are reports from law enforcement that marijuana is increasingly laced with other illicit drugs, including deadly fentanyl."

Issues, GOP regulators are concerned about and want to tackle in the special session include:

• Reinstating penalties for possession and use of cannabis for those under 21 years; 

• Giving local communities more permanent regulatory authority concerning the sales, possession, and consumption of weed, and restricting further smoking and vaping cannabis in public; 

• Eliminating the Black-Market Loophole that allows booming illegal sales before legal sales start. 

"These are basic, responsible steps that can be taken now to avoid larger problems in the future. We know from last year's hastily conceived legalization of low-dose THC consumables that poorly crafted laws lead to confusion and frustration," the lawmakers wrote, as reported by Fox 9.

The Minnesota Legislature is not scheduled to reconvene until February 2024.

Following the letter, the Governor's office issued the following statement on Friday:

"It’s illegal for minors to use marijuana today, and it will be illegal for minors to use marijuana after this law goes into effect. Any minor caught consuming or possessing marijuana could be charged with a petty misdemeanor, and any adult caught selling marijuana to a minor could be subject to jail time. This group of Republican legislators should stop implying otherwise."

‘Crazy Accusation,’ Says Senator Port

Democratic Senator Lindsey Port addressed some of the Republican's concerns in a Sunday interview with CBS News.

“That is just a crazy accusation,” Port said. “Cannabis is not legal for children at this point and as the law takes effect on August first it remains illegal. We legalized cannabis for adults 21 and older. Republicans have known that the entire time.”

Port, who was one of the authors of the cannabis legalization bill, further discussed some other aspects of the law, including the expungements, saying that Minnesota is the first state to make the process automatic, without even having to apply for clearing the record.

“This is really the heart of the bill, and it’s why I took on this legislation in the first place.” she said. “Because prohibition has done some many harm to so many communities. It restricts housing, it restricts people from being able to get jobs. It really has had lasting effects that disproportionately have fallen on communities of color. So, the expungement piece is so huge and is something that we are really proud of.”

What about the illegal market concerns?

Port further explained that while it will take around 18 months before legal cannabis sales begin, it should result in an expansion of the illicit market. “The illicit market is already here in Minnesota, Port said. “It is not going to come in suddenly. It’s already here.”

She further added that tribal partners will start legal sales right away.

On Friday, The White Earth Nation Tribal Council voted to legalize adult-use cannabis and might begin sales on the reservation to both tribal and nontribal members as early as this week, reported Minnesota reformer.

The news comes on the heels of The Red Lake Nation voting to launch Minnesota’s first Native American tribal medical cannabis dispensary at the NativeCare Dispensary. This decision gives the tribe a competitive advantage, despite its location being a considerable distance from Minneapolis.

See Also: Gov. Walz Says Tribal Governments Could Light Up Minnesota's Cannabis Industry Ahead Of Schedule

Port also discussed social equity noting that the legalization bill places a strong emphasis on it it.

Hemp-Based Drinks And Edibles Already Huge

Meanwhile, hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles have been sold at local retailers for a while now. It looks like the state regulators have made an exception for these products, making them available long before the official legal cannabis sales launch, writes Pioneer Press.

“Dispensaries are not going to be online for another year, possibly two, so we have a runway to get hemp products established before the dispensaries open, which is nice for business,” said Matt Schwandt, president and co-founder of Bauhaus Brew Labs in Northeast Minneapolis.

Diana Eberlein, chair of the Cannabis Beverage Association, expressed surprise while visiting the Twin Cities in April.

“You don’t know how it is operating in a market until you have boots on the ground,” Eberlein said. “I was shocked at how normalized it is to have THC beverages on a menu and just available everywhere.”

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Photo: Courtesy of Wesley Gibbs on Unsplash