St. Paul, MN - Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File 600, which would legalize and regulate cannabis for adult use, and expunge the records of those convicted of nonviolent cannabis-related crimes. The legislation passed on a bipartisan vote of 72-61. State Representative Todd Lippert (DFL - Northfield) is a co-author of the bill.
“A thoughtful, thorough regulatory framework around adult-use cannabis not only improves our ability to keep it out of the hands of our youth by helping to eliminate the illicit market, it also addresses the harmful racial disparities caused by our current laws,” said Rep. Lippert. “Despite comparable usage rates, Black Minnesotans are arrested at a much higher rate compared to white Minnesotans. This is a comprehensive bill that will lead to better outcomes for all communities in Minnesota.”
The adult-use cannabis bill would create a responsible regulatory structure focused on developing micro-businesses and a craft market; expunge most cannabis convictions; fund public health awareness, youth access prevention, and substance abuse treatment; provide grants, loans, technical assistance, and training for small businesses; require testing and labeling of products; restrict packaging based on dosage size; and allow limited home grow abilities.
As of Nov. 4, 2020, voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota approved measures to regulate cannabis for adult-use, in addition to the 11 other states and 3 territories that currently allow adult-use cannabis.
Prior to today’s historic vote, House File 600 received approval from 12 House committees, including the committees on Commerce; Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs; Business and Workforce Development; Agriculture; Environment and Natural Resources; Judiciary and Civil Law; State Government; Education Finance; Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform; Health; Taxes; and Ways and Means.