SAINT PAUL, Minn. – On Thursday, May 13th, the Minnesota House passed HF 600, a bill which legalizes and regulates adult-use cannabis in Minnesota, while expunging records of people convicted for nonviolent offenses involving cannabis. The bill was passed on a bipartisan vote of 72-61. Rep. Sandra Masin (DFL - Eagan) was a co-author and voted in support of the legislation.
“I am proud of the bill we passed today, it has come to fruition after years of hard work and careful planning. I know that by ending the prohibition on adult-use cannabis Minnesota will be able to heal the harm caused by prohibition,” Rep. Masin said. “This bill takes into consideration the injustice caused by prohibition while ensuring that legalization will protect the health and safety of all Minnesotans. I urge our GOP colleagues in the Senate to support this historic legislation.”
The bill consists of 9 articles designed to end the harmful prohibition of cannabis while creating a safe, effective, just, and stable legal framework for its legalization:
- Article 1: Regulatory framework, including licensing, for adult-use cannabis industry;
- Article 2: Tax provisions;
- Article 3: Food safety
- Article 4: Grants to small businesses and individuals to launch cannabis industry;
- Article 5: Modify criminal penalties related to the possession, sale, and cultivation of cannabis;
- Article 6: Expungement of criminal records for marijuana offenses,
- Article 7: Miscellaneous provisions relating to workplace restrictions and other matters,
- Article 8: Reschedules marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III;
- Article 9: Appropriations to state agencies and boards.
Video recording of today’s floor session will be made available on the House Public Information YouTube channel.
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