Minnesota House Passes Bill to Legalize Recreational Cannabis

The Minnesota House of Representatives passed HF100 Tuesday, a bill that would allow adults 21 and older to buy, sell, and use marijuana.

The bill passed with a 71-59 vote, with two Republicans joining all but one Democrat in supporting the proposal.

The Senate is scheduled to vote Friday on its own version. If the bill passes in the Senate, a conference committee would then resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions before a final vote is taken. Both chambers would then have to sign off on the final version before sending it to the Governor’s office.

Gov. Tim Walz has previously stated he’s ready to sign a cannabis legalization bill into law. “Minnesotans are ready to legalize adult-use cannabis and expunge cannabis convictions in Minnesota,” the Governor said on Twitter on 4/20. “ I’m ready to sign it into law.”

Medical marijuana became legal in Minnesota in 2014, and last year the Legislature legalized recreational low-dose, hemp-derived cannabis edibles for adults.

In its current version, the new legislation would permit a person age 21 or older to:

• possess up to 2 ounces of cannabis flower in a public place or 1.5 pounds in a person’s residence;
• possess or transport no more than 8 grams of adult-use cannabis concentrate;
• possess or transport edible products infused with up to 800 milligrams of THC;
• give away cannabis flower and cannabinoid products in an amount that is legal for a person to possess in public;
• use cannabis flower and cannabinoid products in private areas; and
• cultivate up to eight cannabis plants, of which four or fewer may be mature, flowering plants.

If enacted, Minnesota would become the 23^rd U.S. state to legalize cannabis.