Every year, the Minnesota governor submits a budget proposal for lawmakers to review. Last year, the budget, approved by lawmakers, legalized smokable medical cannabis flower for all medical cannabis. This year, Governor Tim Walz, D, is hoping to legalize recreational cannabis for adults 21 and over. 

The budget would allocate $25 million to create the Cannabis Management Office. This office would use the funding for various endeavors: education, health, public safety, human services, corrections, and more. Additionally, the budget “also includes funding for grants to assist individuals entering the legal cannabis market, provides for expungement of non-violent offenses involving cannabis, and implements taxes on adult-use cannabis.”

The House Majority Leader, Ryan Winkler, D, responded with appreciation for the continued support of cannabis legalization from Governor Walz. 

“Because of the hard work done by advocates in recent years, legalizing cannabis for adult-use within a regulated market and expungement of past cannabis convictions is now a mainstream idea that has the support of the Minnesota House of Representatives and Governor Tim Walz,” Representative Winkler wrote in a press release.

Proposed Bill

In addition to Governor Walz’s budget proposal, another bill passed through 12 House committees and a full House vote. HF 600, sponsored by Majority Leader Winkler, would legalize the sale and possession of recreational cannabis up to 1.5 ounces. Additionally, consumers could also grow up to eight plants in a home growth option, with four of the eight plants being mature. 

At the end of the 2021 legislative session, HF 600 stalled in the Senate as the bill wasn’t brought forth for discussion. HF 600 is still currently alive in the Senate as Minnesota has two year legislative sessions. This means that a bill introduced and passed in one chamber the first year still has a chance to pass in the second chamber in the following year’s regular session. 

Many activists remain concerned over HF 600. They suspect it won’t make it through the Republican controlled Senate, compared to the Democrat controlled House. Several lawmakers have spoken out against recreational cannabis legalization. Republican members in the Senate Public Safety committee have already said they are against legalization. They are joined by the Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, R, in legalization pushback.

Opposition

The Minnesota Safety Council President, Paul Aasen, has also spoken out in recent weeks against cannabis legalization. “[The council thinks] that use of impairing substances while operating in safety-sensitive positions is a bad idea. If you mix marijuana into that lack of employees and safety-sensitive occupations, we could find a point where people are having a hard time finding employees that can pass drug screens,” Aasen said.

The opposition from these individuals hasn’t hindered the push from supportive lawmakers. The Deputy Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Andrea Vaubel, spoke about the governor’s budget proposal. 

“We really need to make sure we’re modernizing solutions to make sure that we’re harnessing all the benefits that there are to legalizing cannabis and there’s a lot of things with expanding our economy, jobs across the state, really allowing law enforcement to focus on violent crimes,” Deputy Commissioner Vaubel explained.

Future

The legalization of cannabis for Minnesota residents rests in the hands of the Senate. They currently have HF 600 in their hands as well as the governor’s budget proposal. Nevertheless, some activists remain optimistic that Senators will pass legalization if it makes it to the floor. Around 58 percent of Minnesota residents support recreational cannabis legalization. It’s unclear if the Senate will move HF 600 forward or if it will stall for a second time. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest. 

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