Hemp was a booming cash-crop in Minnesota until it was banned by the U.S. government in 1957. About two decades later, the Gopher State decriminalization possession of up to 1.5 ounces to a misdemeanor.
The following passages will elaborate on the marijuana and CBD laws of Minnesota.
Marijuana in Minnesota
Adult-use marijuana is not permissible in Minnesota. Although, state penalties are not as draconian as they are in some other anti-weed North American places. If you’re caught with up to 1.5 ounces of weed, the punishment is $200, but no jail time. However, any amount above 42.5 grams, and you’re looking at five years in the joint, and a $10,000 fine.
Nonetheless, swift actions are in motion in 2019 – primarily because Minnesota’s newly elected Governor Tim Walz supports legalizing and taxing marijuana for adults. In January 2019, Sen. Scott Jensen, M.D. (R), Sen. Melisa Franzen (D), and Rep. Mike Freiberg (D) unveiled their bill to regulate recreational cannabis. However, considerable obstacles remain, as Senator Paul Gazelka stated legal weed doesn’t stand a chance in the Senate this year.
Medical Marijuana
In 2014, then-Gov. Mark Dayton signatured into law a medical cannabis program after asserting upon modifications which made it exceedingly restrictive and also drove the cost of medical marijuana products. The program was gradually expanded in the last few years with the addition of intractable pain (2015), PTSD (2016), and autism and obstructive sleep apnea (2017) in the qualifying conditions. Alzheimer’s disease shall be included as a qualifying condition in August 2019.
Today, there more than 1,400 medical practitioners, and 14,000 registered patients in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The program is governed by the Minnesota Department of Health. The 2018 year-end medical sales generated $39 million, while the estimation for 2022 is a healthy $101 million.
CBD Oil Laws in Minnesota
The Minnesota House approved HF 2315 in 2014 to authorize industrial hemp research in accordance with the then-enacted Agriculture Act. Subsequently, the state’s Industrial Hemp Development Act (IHDA) became law, which allowed MDA to form an industrial hemp pilot program.
Two years later, 6 pilot participants started MDA’s pilot program by harvesting nearly 40 acres of hemp. The first such plantation in the North Star State since the 1950s. The next year 38 participants grew 1205 acres, while the year 2018 witnessed 710 acreages of hemp by 51 participants.
Moreover, the signing of Farm Bill 2018 has federally removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act to reclassify it as an agricultural crop.
Conclusion
You cannot smoke a blunt in Minnesota. However, statewide penalties are not as draconian as they are in some other anti-cannabis U.S. states. Moreover, swift actions are in motion in 2019 because the 41st Governor of Minnesota is pro-marijuana. Medical marijuana became legal in 2014 when the then-Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law a medical program. Today, there more than 14,000 registered patients, who contributed $39 million in medical sales in 2018. Lastly, the signing of the 2018 United States farm bill is set to streamline the Minnesota hemp project in line with the federal provisions.
