We are aware of recent enforcement actions by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture against Minnesota’s hemp industry, as well as the Loveless ruling that found liquid mixtures containing any THC are illegal. (Read more)
As an organization, we advocate for the benefit of consumers and patients, and what is happening to the hemp industry in Minnesota impacts both. Patients and consumers deserve to have access to products produced locally, from sources they know and trust, a gap our local hemp producers fill for thousands of consumers statewide.
We also understand that there may be concerns about this enforcement aligning with the addition of gummies and chews as allowable delivery methods for medical cannabis in Minnesota. Our Policy Director, Maren Schroeder, wrote the petition for GI Edibles, and as an organization, we coalesced with other advocacy groups independently from medical cannabis manufacturers to support the move, justified by concerns about patient safety and dosing consistency. It was not done in concert or consultation with either of Minnesota’s medical cannabis manufacturers.
With the addition of raw cannabis flower to Minnesota’s medical cannabis program, and the recent acquisition of one of the manufacturers by a large, out of state operator, we believe now is the time for the Minnesota Legislature to expand the program through the availability of new medical cannabis manufacturer licenses – with a preference to locally owned, experienced producers.
Sensible Change Minnesota understands the important intersection of the enforcement actions against hemp producers and the restrictions placed on Minnesota’s medical cannabis industry. We believe it is time to support our homegrown industry and provide more options for medical cannabis patients. However, we do not believe that patients should bear the financial burden of this advocacy, when the industry seeks to substantially benefit from such a large legislative change.
In order to move forward with legislation to expand the medical cannabis market, we are asking the industry to help us raise at least $6,000 for the impending 2022 legislative session. This money will allow us to pursue a change to Minn. Stat. 152.25 that will allow the Commissioner of Health to register more than two in-state manufacturers. The organization has laid the initial groundwork through discussions with key legislators, but this represents the minimum amount of resources needed to build the legislative support to move such a large change to Minnesota’s medical cannabis program. We will continue to advocate for new licenses, now as our primary policy objective in expansion of the program.
Please consider a financial contribution today. You can donate online through Act Blue here, or contact [email protected] for a mailing address.