A proposal to legalize marijuana for adults is up for a vote in the Minnesota House for the first time in state history. The measure is expected to pass in the DFL-led chamber on Thursday and has the backing of Gov. Tim Walz. It faces long odds in the Senate, where Republicans in control have said it is not a priority this session. But supporters say the historic vote marks shifting attitudes toward marijuana in Minnesota and across the nation, where 16 states have already voted to legalize the drug and are generating new tax revenue. Minnesota's proposal allows adults 21 and older to buy and possess marijuana, while spelling out safety requirements and setting up a marketplace to sell it. It dedicates funding to youth access prevention and substance abuse treatment programs. The centerpiece of the bill are racial equity provisions that supporters say will begin to address the disproportionate toll marijuana policing has taken on communities of color. Black people are more than five times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession in Minnesota, despite comparable usage rates, according to a 2020 report from the American Civil Liberties Union. The bill would automatically expunge low-level marijuana convictions and create a special board to review others. Opponents to legalization testified in committee hearings that they feared unsafe highways, increased substance-abuse problems and confusion over how to handle people who are high in the workplace.
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Republican lawmakers introduced legislation this week that would federally legalize and regulate marijuana, saying the proposal was necessary to ensure "individual liberty" and protect states' rights. Representative Dave Joyce, a Ohio Republican, introduced the proposed legislation to end the longstanding federal prohibition of marijuana along with Representative Don Young, an Alaska Republican. The bill would remove cannabis from the Federal Controlled Substances list; instruct the government to create a regulatory framework for marijuana similar to the alcohol industry; allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to prescribe medical cannabis; and protect financial institutions dealing with marijuana distributors and growers.
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After years of failed attempts, recreational marijuana will go up for a vote in the Minnesota House on Thursday. It's the furthest a pot bill has ever gone in the Minnesota legislature, but the big question is... will it pass? State DFL leaders say they've put a lot of time and energy into researching what legalizing recreational marijuana could do for Minnesota, and they say they have no doubts that this bill will be passed during Thursday's scheduled 4:30 p.m. vote. "We have suffered under the myth and the lie of reefer madness for way too long," said House Majority Leader, Rep. Ryan Winkler. The legalize adult-use cannabis in Minnesota bill would allow anyone over 21 to buy marijuana from a licensed retailer, and expunge records for those with past misdemeanor marijuana convictions. It's being called a gamechanger. "The only thing that will be radically different is that fewer people will be incarcerated and more people will be able to make responsible adult decisions about cannabis," said Rep. Winkler. Recreational marijuana sales is an industry generating millions in tax revenue for the states that have legalized it. Last year alone, states like Colorado and Washington brought in more than $300 million in revenue according to the Tax Foundation. "Our preliminary estimates based on our tax numbers are something like $60 million a year, that could move up overtime," said Rep. Winkler. For years now, DFL legislators have been pushing similar bills, while being met with opposition from republicans. "They don't want to vote, they don't want to pass it that is the only thing that is standing in the way," said Rep. Winkler. In a statement, Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said legalizing marijuana isn't a state priority: “We are focused on the Minnesota Priorities that balance the budget without raising taxes, safely reopen schools and businesses to recover our economy, and support families. I would not consider legalizing recreational marijuana as a Minnesota priority.
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Sen. Chuck Schumer said that he would be introducing a marijuana bill "shortly," one that would not only legalize the drug but would expunge past records. "Here’s the immediate time frame," the New York Democrat told podcast host and former South Carolina representative Bakari Sellers. "The three people working on a comprehensive bill are myself, Senator [Ron] Wyden and Senator [Corey] Booker, and we will be introducing our bill shortly." "It is not just legalization but a deal for the injustices of the past expungement of the records making sure that the money that’s made from marijuana goes to the communities, communities of color, poor people communities, that have paid the price for this ridiculous scheduling of marijuana," Schumer said. "We’re going to get some support from the right on this, we hope," Schumer continued. "It’s going to take a little while, we’re going to need a mass campaign, but there’s real excitement in the country to do this right now." Asked last month if the president could support the forthcoming bill, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden’s position hasn’t changed, and he supports "decriminalization." The House passed legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level in December, the first time either chamber ever voted to do so. New York became the 16th state to legalize cannabis at the end of March, and New Mexico is expected to do so soon.
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May 1, 2021
USDA approves Minnesota’s revised hemp plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the state of Minnesota’s revised hemp production plan. The plan governs the production and regulation of hemp in Minnesota and needed federal approval as part of USDA’s U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program. “We thank USDA for their work on this new federal hemp program, and we are grateful they have approved Minnesota’s revised plan,” said Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Assistant Commissioner Whitney Place in a press release issued Monday. “This is a major step forward, and we’re pleased that modifications have been made at the federal level that can ensure Minnesota’s hemp growers and processors are successful in this fledgling industry.” This will be the first year Minnesota’s program will be operating under a new, federally approved state plan that governs production and regulation. When the 2018 Federal Farm Bill legalized hemp as an agricultural commodity, it also required states and tribal nations to submit plans to the USDA if governments wanted to oversee their own commercial program. In July 2020, USDA approved the state’s original plan. USDA then made modifications to their rule which required Minnesota to submit a revised plan for approval.
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When it comes to illegal grow operations, Southern Oregon law enforcement agencies have their hands full and have asked lawmakers to get involved. What that involvement will look like in practical terms has yet to be determined however Oregon Rep. Lily Morgan (R-Grants Pass) says she is doing what she can to procure her region with more resources at the state level. "I'm working with OLCC and Oregon Department of Agriculture as well as other legislators to try to increase awareness and support financially for enforcement of the illegal grows in Southern Oregon," she said during an interview on Tuesday. Though she is supporting bills relating to enforcement and regulation of the cannabis industry, she said she is not limiting solutions to what can be accomplished through those measures. "The legislature approves the budget so through the process we can allocate money towards enforcement, towards the support of the agencies that do the enforcement and licensing, and towards the grants that go to Southern Oregon," she said. "By bringing the awareness, by bringing the support we are trying to allocate what resources that we can. if the Governor is able to divert any resources she currently has that is appropriate as well. Residents in Josephine County have taken their complaints about the issue to lawmakers as well, sending a letter that denounced what they deem as a lack of enforcement that has caused illegal grows to proliferate in recent years. Complaints range from environmental to concerns over traffic and increased noise and light pollution. Morgan said she understands these concerns and realizes how big of an issue this has become in her own backyard. "It's the entirety of the situation from clearcutting our natural resources to bulldozing over creekbeds to stealing water, there is human trafficking going on, there is more serious violent crimes going on and quite frankly it is overwhelming our rural areas and it's not the culture of what Southern Oregon is," she said. Local code and water rights agencies say they have seen complaints about these violations go up since the legalization of cannabis in Southern Oregon.
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In this column, I will examine whether cannabis legalization is likely to eliminate the black market, deprive violent criminal groups of money, and reduce criminal violence.
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The national market is set to reach $30.6 billion by 2025.
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The arrival of delta-8-THC—which is being sold in various places as a tincture, in vape pens, added to food, and sprayed on hemp flower so that it can be smoked—coincided with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, in which Congress repealed the federal prohibition on hemp and its byproducts.
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April 21, 2021
Poll: 1/4 of U.S. Adults Are Current Cannabis Consumers
A recent poll found that approximately one-quarter of U.S. adults said they had used cannabis within the last year.
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