Minnesota sheriff warns against adult legalization

As two bills legalizing cannabis weave their way through the Minnesota state legislature, proponents are hailing the legislation as a sensible approach to marijuana policy reform. But one small county sheriff is urging lawmakers to consider the law enforcement implications of legalization and urging caution.

The laws, House File 100 and Senate File 73, would allow adults 21 and older to purchase up to two ounces of cannabis. Adults may possess up to two ounces of cannabis in public and up to five pounds in private residences. Adults are also allowed to gift up to two ounces of cannabis to another adult. The bills also allow home cultivation of marijuana, with adults being able to grow up to eight cannabis plants, including up to four adult plants.

The bills, currently under consideration by numerous legislative committees in both the House and Senate, also create a framework for regulating commercial cannabis production, processing and sales. The legislation mandates a new Bureau of Cannabis Management to license and regulate cannabis businesses and includes provisions allowing cities and counties to own and operate state-operated dispensaries. In addition to cannabis growers, processors and distributors, the bills will authorize licenses for home delivery services and temporary permits for on-site consumption of cannabis products at special events.

The legislation also includes social justice provisions, including automatic deletion of records of past marijuana-related offenses. Additionally, social justice applicants for cannabis business licenses would receive bonus points during the application process.

Travis Copenhaver, a partner at cannabis law firm Vicente LLP, said the proposed cannabis legalization legislation includes provisions designed to ensure that the adult cannabis market in Minnesota is not dominated by large corporations and incorporates the experiences of other states, who have legalized cannabis.

“Legalization is always a difficult time with many unanswered questions,” Copenhaver wrote in an email to the High Times. “Senate File 73/House File 100 would create 12 license types for adult use, each with the goal of preventing monopoly and ensuring that the opportunities created benefit Minnesota and its residents.”

“As these bills continue to advance, Minnesota has the luxury of studying the successes and failures of other states in its region, as well as its own successful medical program,” he added.

County Sheriff urges caution in Minnesota

Sheriff Chad Meester of Lincoln County, a rural jurisdiction in southwestern Minnesota with fewer than 6,000 residents, urged lawmakers and state residents to exercise caution when legalizing marijuana. In a social media post, cited by the Marshall Independent, Meester urged borough residents to consider arguments both for and against legalizing marijuana.

“Basically what I’m trying to do to inform the public and my constituents, there needs to be a serious, serious weighing of pros and cons in the legislature,” Meester said.

“There are some serious concerns” about legalizing marijuana, Meester said, adding he was concerned about the potential increase in disabled drivers on the state’s roads. He also acknowledged that MPs would have difficulty determining whether a driver is impaired by marijuana.

“We would need training, we would need resources to deal with that,” Meester said.

Meester called for “adequate fundraising” for law enforcement agencies to successfully move towards cannabis legalization. The sheriff also said the legislation should include funding for the development of a roadside test for impairment, training officers to detect drugs and other public health and safety costs.

“For me, I’d like to know how the experts judge this,” Meester wrote.