We've Got a Pro-Legalization Majority 🎉
This free-content issue includes the top things to know post-election
The Pre-Roll curates the most important cannabis news and developments at the intersection of policy, politics, and industry development. With over 1,500 subscribers, the Pre-Roll is Minnesota’s premier source for cannabis-related information and intelligence.
The Pre-Roll is written by Blunt Strategies, Minnesota’s first and only full-service strategic consultancy cultivated exclusively for the cannabis industry.
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1. We’re gonna legalize the $&!% out of cannabis
On Tuesday, Minnesotans re-elected Gov. Tim Walz and elected a DFL majority to both the MN House and Senate, finally clearing the way for legalization of adult-use cannabis. Woohoo!
Former Gov. Jesse Ventura said on his podcast yesterday that Gov. Tim Walz called him on Wednesday and personally assured him that legalization will be among the first bills the legislature will pass in 2023. Here’s what Ventura said, as reported by Fox9:
"The sticking point for cannabis in Minnesota were Republicans in the (Senate)," said Ventura. "Well, they lost it now, and the governor reassured me that one of the first items that will be passed -- Minnesota, get ready -- cannabis is going to have its prohibition lifted. That’s the news I got today."
Haven’t you heard, Jesse? MN doesn’t need to get ready. #MNisReady!
As reported by Fox9, here’s the current pro-legalization whip count:
MNisReady, a coalition of pro-legalization groups, said 62 current or incoming House members have pledged to support legalization. Eight incoming House Democrats haven't stated a position, said Leili Fatehi, a spokeswoman for the coalition. In the House, 68 votes are required to pass a bill.
In the Senate, where 34 votes are needed, 28 current or incoming DFL senators have pledged support, Fatehi said. Another six incoming Senate Democrats haven't taken a public position.
What’s next?
The 2023 legislative session begins on January 3.
👀 In next week’s premium issue of the Pre-Roll, we’ll delve into what the timeline and dynamics look like at the state legislature, including what new special interests we can expect to see, what they’re going to be lobbying for, and how MN’s legalization law may be shaped.
2. What the election outcomes mean for MN’s pot parties
As MPRNews reports, none of the candidates running under either of Minnesota’s two pro-legalization third parties, the Legalize Marijuana Now (LMN) Party and the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis (GLC) Party, cleared the 5% vote threshold that’s required to be considered a major political party in Minnesota. Moving forward, the GLC Party will no longer have major party status. LMN Party will maintain its major party status through 2024 because it cleared the threshold in the 2020 Senate race.
3. Meanwhile, in other states…
Maryland and Missouri voters approved ballot measures to legalize cannabis while North Dakota, South Dakota, and Arkansas voters rejected cannabis legalization on their ballots. Vox provides a good overview of the playing field and what happened in each of these states.
Marijuana Moment reports that the ballot measure results in Maryland, Missouri, and North Dakota are consistent with the results of a Fox News/Associated Press poll administered the week before the election that showed a majority of North Dakotans (59%) opposed to legalization and a majority of Marylanders (57%) and Missourians (63%) in support of legalization. South Dakota’s measure, which received 53% “no” votes, however, is inconsistent with the Fox/AP poll results, which showed 57% of South Dakotans in favor of legalization. The same is true in Arkansas where 56% of voters rejected their state’s ballot measure, while the Fox/AP poll showed 55% of Arkansans in support of legalization. Marijuana Moment offers some possible explanations for the disconnect between the polling and the results in the latter two states:
There are certainly a number of factors that might be at play, including the fact that the Fox/AP survey was designed to include “the views of all Americans, as voters and non-voters.” But the results also seem to speak to a challenge that several reform campaigns ran up against this cycle: some people who back legalization put specific policy provisions over general ideology.
That is, support for the basic idea of ending prohibition is consistently popular among Americans, but the debate on what legalization should look like has evolved and become more nuanced, which manifested in several campaigns in 2022.
Disagreements about provisions related to licensing, equity, expungements, tax rates and revenue distribution, home grow rights and more may have pushed some of those people who said they back legalization in principle in Arkansas and South Dakota to vote against the individual initiatives.
It was exactly those kinds of policy disputes that led to a fair amount of intramovement advocacy splintering in Missouri as well, which could help explain the sizable gap separating the survey and vote results.
In South Dakota, meanwhile, a majority of voters approved an earlier legalization ballot measure in 2020 that was later overturned in courts. Unlike that initiative, however, the new pared-down proposal that was defeated this week did not contain provisions to legalize and regulate cannabis sales. It’s possible that a sizable number of voters only wanted to end prohibition if it came with a mechanism for people to legally buy marijuana.
In Maryland, the relative consistency between the results might have to do with the simplicity of the legalization referendum that went before voters. It asked: “Do you favor the legalization of the use of cannabis by an individual who is at least 21 years of age on or after July 1st, 2023, in the state of Maryland?”
An advisory referendum gauging voter support for cannabis legalization appeared on the ballot in 9 Wisconsin municipalities. Voters overwhelmingly voted “yes” in support of legalization in all of the municipalities.
Colorado voters approved a ballot measure to decriminalize and establish a regulated access program for certain psychedelic plants and fungi.
👀 Keep an eye out for the next issue of the Pre-Roll—it’ll contain info about Minnesota’s advocacy efforts around decriminalization of certain psychedelic plants.
4. MN Industrial Hemp Program now accepting applications for 2023
The MN Department of Agriculture has opened online applications for licenses to grow and/or process industrial hemp in Minnesota in 2023. Applications will be accepted until April 30, 2023, but those actively growing hemp plants indoors past December 31, 2022 must renew their license before expiration at the end of the year. Additional information is available here.
👏 Kudos
Angela L’Esperance, founder and president of Minneapolis-based Ms. Jane Accounting, is among Finance & Commerce magazine’s Top Women in Finance 2022. From the magazine’s profile of Angela:
L’Esperance has been active in supporting industry nonprofits, laying the financial groundwork for the Minnesota Hemp Growers Cooperative, the Minnesota Is Ready Coalition and the Great Rise, a collaboration created to advocate for a cannabis economy in Minnesota that provides equal opportunity for all.
She is passionate about women’s leadership and advocacy in the cannabis space. “I’d love to see an equitable cannabis economy in Minnesota, once legalized, and a budget for supporting the communities directly and negatively impacted by the war on drugs.”
Angela’s the best, and we’re so proud to see her leadership, talents, and skills that she brings to our industry recognized and celebrated by the broader finance and business professional community.
📅 Events
Nov. 12: Legacy Cannabis’ THC Festival, featuring the 3rd Annual Legacy Cup competition, will be held this Saturday, Nov. 12 at Minneapolis Cider Company from 1-7 PM. A panel of ten judges including comedian and cannabis industry personality, Ngaio Bealum will help decide the winners in various categories including best THC gummy and best THC beverage. Local breweries including Surly Brewing, Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Modist Brewing and more will compete to be crowned best THC beverage. In addition to the panel of judges, attendees of the free event will be able to cast their vote for the state’s best cannabis products. Though Legacy has hosted two previous CBD Cups, Saturday’s festival will be the first event with THC products available due to the recent change in state law. More information, including the full list of categories, is available HERE.