SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler introduced legislation today that would legalize the adult use of cannabis. The legislation is the result of months of public discussions on how to responsibly legalize and regulate cannabis.
“We made a commitment to introduce legislation this session, and we wanted to follow through on that commitment,” said Majority Leader Winkler. “Our current priority is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, but after the town halls and discussions around this issue, we still wanted to put a strong bill forward. As we look to come out of this crisis as a better, stronger Minnesota, we need to continue working toward legalizing cannabis for responsible adult use.”
The bill includes the following:
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- Creates a regulatory structure focused on developing micro-businesses and a craft market
- Provides for expungement of most cannabis convictions
- Provides for a limited allowance of home grow
- Requires testing and labeling of products
- Restricts packaging based on dosage size
- Provides funding for public health awareness, youth access prevention, and substance abuse addiction and treatment
- Provides grants, loans, technical assistance, and training for small businesses
- Uses best practices from other states to account for negative externalities
“Minnesotans have been loud and clear that our current cannabis laws are doing more harm than good,” added Majority Leader Winkler. “By creating a regulatory framework we can address the harms caused by cannabis and establish a more sensible set of laws to improve our health care and criminal justice systems and ensure better outcomes for communities.”
The text of the bill, HF 4632, can be found here.