The 2021 regular legislative session has ended for Minnesota, and the House-passed cannabis bill died in the Senate without action. Lawmakers could now revive the bill if they take up cannabis reform in a special session that started last week.
“Nobody really expected the medical program to be so successfully changed this year,” House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler said. He was referencing a separate measure Gov. Tim Walz signed into law in May that legalizes smokable medical cannabis.
According to The Star Tribune, Winkler added that “surprising things can happen” during a special session. When a measure has bipartisan support in the House and Senate, there is an opportunity to move forward.
Minnesota’s Special Session
Advocates with Minnesota NORML are pushing for the legislature to include multiple legislation policies that the legislature will take up during the special session.
- Expanding the state’s decriminalization policy;
- Have the state petition for a federal exemption for Minnesota’s medical cannabis program.
Advocates want to ensure that patients registered with Minnesota’s medical cannabis program will be able to purchase and possess firearms lawfully despite federal restrictions.
On Wednesday, advocates held an emergency rally at the Capitol. NORML organized the event with several other groups and the Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition (RAMP). During the rally, Winkler and multiple lawmakers spoke in favor of policy changes like decriminalizing cannabis. They urged lawmakers to take up cannabis reform.
“Decriminalizing small amounts is important,” Rep. Jeremy Munson said at the rally. “If someone in Minnesota gets caught with two gummy bears, it’s a felony and they’ll lose their gun rights forever.”
The groups proposed several vital reforms that they wish to see integrated into public safety and health legislation during the special session:
- Reduce penalties for simple possession;
- Allow people convicted of possession of up to eight grams to petition the courts for expungement;
- Require the Minnesota health commissioner to petition the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for an exemption for the medical marijuana program.
“Let’s focus on the people who have small quantities. There is injustice in a trivial amount of marijuana resulting in life-changing punishments like imprisonment, criminal records, and lost jobs and kids,” Thomas Gallagher of RAMP said in a press release.
On the positive side, Minnesota isn’t the only ones advocating and pushing for state rights against federal policies.
More States Fighting For Protections
Like Minnesota’s activists, Iowa officials request that federal agencies guarantee some level of protection for their residents participating in the medical cannabis program.
In like manner, the Hawaii legislature recently adopted a resolution seeking exemption from DEA stipulations that the state can run its medical cannabis program without federal interference.
Furthermore, in December, in Minnesota, Winkler said that if the Senate Republicans kill the policy change measure, he hopes they will allow voters to decide on marijuana as a 2022 ballot measure.
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