The Minnesota House on Thursday voted 73-57 to legalize cannabis for adult use in the state, the Star Tribune reports. The bill allows Minnesotans 21-and-older to buy up to 2 ounces of flower, 8 grams of concentrate, and 800 milligrams worth of edible products at a time and possess the same amounts in public. Minnesotans could also grow up to eight cannabis plants, with no more than four flowering.
Prior to the vote, State Rep. Zack Stephenson (D) said “The day has finally arrived.”
“Today is the day that we are going to vote here in the House for the last time to legalize cannabis and bring the change that many Minnesotans have wanted for a very long time.” — Stephenson via the Star Tribune
The bill was a compromise between versions already passed by the House and Senate. The bill includes a 10% tax on sales and also sets possession limits in homes at 2 pounds – the highest among states that have approved the reforms. The measure also creates an Office of Cannabis Management which would oversee licensing of medical, adult-use, and hemp-derived products.
The measure also includes automatic expungement of misdemeanor cannabis convictions and establishes a committee to consider expungement of felony-level cannabis crimes.
If approved by the Senate and signed by Gov. Tim Walz (D) – who has promised to give the reforms final approval – cannabis possession and home cultivation would be legal on August 1.
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