Minnesota Wants Public Feedback On First Draft of Cannabis Sale Regulations

(The Center Square) – Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management released its first draft of recreational marijuana sales regulations, and it wants public input.

Since recreational marijuana was legalized in August, this will be the first set of rules for the state’s cannabis industry. The entire draft of rules, which is more than 100 pages long, is available for review until Aug. 30 on the state office’s website.

The OCM says it has created the initial draft based on statewide surveys and meetings, as well as by communicating with states that had previously legalized recreational marijuana sales.

The rules focus less on consumption, and more on the industry itself. Topics include licensing, manufacturing, retail, packaging, testing, complaint process, delivery tracking, environmental and equity considerations, pesticide usage, and medical cannabis patient registration.

Minnesota’s proposed regulations are more lenient than many other states. For example, while the current plans do not allow for drive-thru dispensaries, they do permit curbside pickup. Delivery drivers are also allowed to carry up to $3,000 worth of marijuana at a time. In total, the document references about 70 different proposed regulations.

While the state lists a variety of criminal offenses as being a disqualification for operating a cannabis or hemp business, the OCM does offer “social equity licenses” for people formerly convicted of marijuana-related crimes.

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Final rules are expected to be announced in the spring of 2025, after final adjustments are made in response to public feedback.