News that's sweet, news that's sour, and news that's, well, high
1. Latest Bill Introductions
→ On Tuesday, April 19, Sens. Karla Bigham (DFL-Cottage Grove), Mark Koran (R-North Branch), Melisa López Franzen (DFL-Edina), Kari Dziedzic (DFL-Minneapolis), and Jen McEwen (DFL-Duluth) introduced S.F. 4500, a bill establishing an Office of Cannabis Derivatives and transferring to it the regulation and implementation of the medical cannabis program and the regulation of industrial hemp and all hemp and hemp-deritivate products. The bill has been referred to the Senate State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee. It has no House companion.
Not much else in the way of relevant bills and hearings at the Capitol this week. We’ll continue to monitor and report new developments as they come.
2. ICYMI: 4/20 at the Capitol
→ MN Norml hosted a 420 press conference yesterday in the rotunda of the state Capitol. Speakers included criminal defense attorney Tom Gallagher, MN Norml chair Pat Bradley, MN Norml lobbyist Kurtis Hanna, Rep. Rena Moran (DFL-St. Paul), Rep. Nolan West (R-Blaine), Sen. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka), and Leili Fatehi, campaign manager for Minnesotans for Responsible Marijuana Regulation. The press conference was streamed in its entirety by Fox 9 News and is available for viewing here.
3. Verano and Green Thumb Hit with Antitrust Suit for Illinois Price Fixing
→ A federal antitrust lawsuit was filed Monday against Verano Holdings and Green Thumb Industries, the two multi-state cannabis operators that comprise the state-sanctioned medical cannabis duopoly in Minnesota. The lawsuit alleges that Verano, Green Thumb, and Surterra Holdings, the three companies that make up the so-called “Chicago Cartel,” colluded to control the price of legal cannabis in Illinois. The lawsuit claims that, as a result of this price fixing, a pound of legal cannabis in Illinois sells for $4,000 as compared to $300 in California. The lawsuit also alleges violations of the antitrust prohibition on competing companies sharing board members. Additional details can be found in this article and the full legal complaint is available here.
4. Scooby Doobie Don’t
→ NBC News reported this week about a new research study published in PLOS One on the increase in accidental cannabis consumption by pets. The article quotes Dr. Ahna Brutlag, director of veterinary services and senior veterinary toxicologist at Pet Poison Helpline in Minnesota, who previously published a research article on the toxicology of cannabis, synthetic cannabinoids, and cannabidiol in dogs and cats that is cited in the new research study. The goal of the new study was to “qualify what cannabis-induced poisoning looks like in pets, so [researchers] can work toward developing a drug that can reverse the effects.” According to the article, sixteen out of 283 reported cases of cannabis poisoning in pets in Canada and the United States in 2021 resulted in the animal dying, but the researchers “were not able to rule out other causes, like underlying conditions or other toxins in the edibles” and suspect “other ingredients — like chocolate, which is toxic to dogs — likely had a larger impact” than cannabis in producing these deaths.
5. This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
→ The Star Tribune published an article yesterday explaining why Minnesota law doesn’t allow citizens to bypass the state legislature by putting proposed changes to state law on the ballot. This is a frequent question and topic of interest in the cannabis space as the vast majority of states that have legalized adult-use cannabis have done so by state ballot initiative. Minnesota, however, does not have a mechanism by which citizens can petition to put a proposed law change to voters at the ballot box. The only way to get an issue on the ballot in Minnesota is in the form of a proposed amendment to the state constitution that is introduced and approved by vote of the state legislature. The article provides great information about the history of efforts to allow ballot initiatives in Minnesota, as well as some of the reasonsoning for and against such a move from people on both sides of the aisle.
6. Sweet News Out of Fergus Falls
→ Yesterday, the Fergus Falls Daily Journal profiled Emily McCune, a local medical cannabis patient and advocate who recently obtained a certificate in cannabis health and medicine from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and is transitioning her Fergus Falls based cannabis business, Sugar High Bakery, into “Sugar High Cannabis Consulting & Dispensary, a 100% legal and fully state and federally compliant cannabis dispensary and consulting business that will offer fully hemp-derived products and novelty items, workshops and resources for those interested in exploring cannabis as a treatment opportunity.” The launch event for the new Sugar High will be held at Bigwood Event Center on June 15 and is “free and open to anyone from the community who would like to learn more about cannabis medicine.” Go, Emily!
7. Fossum Prison Blues
→ KYMN Radio reports that Rice County Attorney John Fossum does not support the legalization of cannabis in Minnesota and believes the issue to be a low priority because “Minnesota decriminalized marijuana a long time ago.” Fossum further said, “Most marijuana possession offenses aren’t very serious. Some of them are petty misdemeanors, and some are misdemeanors. To get to a felony you have to have a lot, so it’s not an offense that we spend a lot of time dealing with.”
Three months ago, KYMN reported that: “[Rice] County has seen a backlog of upwards of 350 trial cases, and many more non-trial misdemeanor cases. Consequently, each member of the Rice County Attorney’s Office has, on average, 300 cases assigned to them. Rice County Attorney John Fossum said in the statement that number is far too many, and that his attorneys should have caseloads closer to 150.” …… 🤔
8. Sign of the Times
→ WCCO reported yesterday on a street sign for 420th Street in North Branch that’s been stolen so many times the police have now raised it on a 20 foot pole. Sounds like Senator Mark Koran, who represents North Branch and is the leading GOP sponsor of bills to decriminalize cannabis and make other improvements to Minnesota’s cannabis laws, can rest assured that he’s doing right by a noteworthy segment of his constituents.
9. Don’t forget!
A reminder that April 30 is the last day for cultivators and processors to apply for a hemp license from the MN Department of Agriculture for the 2022 season. Info and application are available here.