Minnesota Lawmakers Work to Refine Cannabis Regulations
As the state prepares to launch its retail cannabis market, several bills are making their way through the Minnesota Legislature to address various issues related to legal and medical cannabis. Senator Scott Dibble, a Democrat from Minneapolis, is sponsoring several of these bills aimed at refining the state’s cannabis regulations.
One of the main concerns is the high volume of patient applications for the medical cannabis registry, which is causing a longer-than-usual wait time. Dibble’s bill aims to increase access to medical marijuana for patients by aligning the rules for medical cannabis on reservations with those in the existing medical program.
The bill also proposes allowing registered caregivers to grow up to eight cannabis plants for a single-patient household, as well as eight additional plants for personal use. This change is intended to provide more ease of access, lower costs, and greater convenience for patients.
When Minnesota first legalized medical cannabis in 2014, only two companies were allowed to grow, sell, and operate eight medical dispensaries each for the entire state. The conditions for which patients could receive the drug were limited to about 10, including cancer and ALS.
Dibble expressed his goal to keep the medical side of cannabis access strong in Minnesota, as he has observed that in other states where adult use has been legalized, the medical side tends to decline. He is “reasonably confident” that his cannabis bills will pass this session, citing his experience as a chief author of several bills related to adult use and medical cannabis.
The proposed legislation also addresses government and tribal relationships, license requirements, social equity applicants, and medical cannabis combination businesses. With the deadline for bills to clear at least one committee by Friday, lawmakers are working to finalize these changes before the end of the session.
