Minneapolis City Council to weigh cannabis regulations

Minnesota's cannabis law: 1 year later

It was August 1, 2023, when self-described weed nerds at First Avenue were celebrating the legalization of recreational marijuana. But experts say while Minnesota has come a long way when it comes to legal weed in the last year, it still has a long way to go.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - As Minnesota moves closer to cannabis licensing, and businesses opening in the Twin Cities, the City of Minneapolis is weighing cannabis regulations.

During its Thursday morning meeting, council members gave notice of two separate ordinances related to cannabis.

Cannabis business regulation

The "notice" means that lawmakers are just alerting the council they will introduce the full bill at the next meeting. Right now, we only know the barebones: The ordinance will cover use regulations, development standards, and signs.

Council Member Jamal Osman is proposing the new ordinance.

"Cannabis is coming to our city," said Osman, which was met with a laugh. "We know the state of Minnesota passed [the law] legalizing cannabis use. We are making sure we're ready before the state [starts licensing]."

Cannabis business registration

Along with the proposed set of regulations, the council is also set to debate a new ordinance to require cannabis businesses to register with the city.

The city already requires businesses that sell legal, hemp-derived THC products to register.

Timeline for cannabis businesses

This week, the state Office of Cannabis Management held a briefing for local governments with guidance about the cannabis rollout.

Currently, the Office of Cannabis Management has released its draft rules for businesses. It expects to finalize them in early 2025. The license preapproval window closed this week for businesses.

The licensing process is expected to start in 2025 after the rules are in place. Currently, cannabis sales are only allowed on tribal lands.