Another House committee joins the long list of approvals for a Minnesota marijuana legalization bill. It was introduced in February.
On Tuesday, the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy House Committee passed the proposal. House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (D), Speaker Melissa Hortman (D), and other lawmakers sponsor the bill.
The proposal will allow adults 21 and over to purchase and possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis. They will also be able to cultivate eight plants, four of which can be mature.
The bill advanced in an 11-7 vote.
“Our effort as a society and as a state to use the criminal justice system to ban, prohibit, and criminalize cannabis is a public policy failure,” Winkler said. “As a public safety and criminal justice matter, cannabis prohibition has had a disproportionate effect on communities of color, especially black Minnesotans.”
Recently members adopted an amendment before sending their approval for the measure. It includes revisions to treat possession over the limit differently. If the marijuana was obtained from an illegal versus legal source. It will also eliminate a provision that penalized people from having an open package of cannabis in a passenger compartment of a vehicle.
The amended legislation allows local governments to prohibit public use. As long as the penalty is a petty misdemeanor, and the definition of “public” space is consistent with the statute. As well as expunging prior cannabis convictions, the bill stipulates that courts must vacate and dismiss records for low-level possession cases.
Tuesday’s vote is the latest approval in a long series of committee actions, it should have a floor vote in May. The next stop is the Health Finance and Policy Committee.
The Future of the Legislation
If the bill makes its way through the House and to the Senate, it will have an uphill battle to pass.
In the Republican-controlled Senate, lawmakers have indicated that they are more interested in revising the existing medical cannabis program. As opposed to enacting the legalization of adult-use cannabis.
As part of the legislation, social equity will be a priority. The legislation will ensure large corporations cannot monopolize the market. It will also ensure diverse licensing. Another step it will take is to expunge prior marijuana records.
On-site consumption and cannabis delivery services will be legal. In addition to this, the bill will prohibit local municipalities from banning or prohibiting marijuana businesses from operating in their areas.
The retail cannabis sales will have a 10 percent tax. A portion of the revenue will go towards funding a grant program designed to promote economic development and community stability.
The retail sales for cannabis would launch in December 2022.
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