CHRONICLING LEGAL CANNABIS IN MINNESOTA
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CHRONICLING LEGAL
CANNABIS IN MINNESOTA
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In this week’s Nuggets: The Minnesota Cannabis Growers Co-op teams up with the state on a Mankato pot conference; Cannabis expungements delayed, BCA says; the Office of Cannabis Management announces new hires; and a new cannabis-friendly event series aims to make Dry January more fun.
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Minnesota Cannabis Growers Co-op, state team up on Mankato pot conference: The Minnesota Cannabis Growers Cooperative and Industry Council (MCGCIC) sent out a “save the date” Wednesday for the MN Cannabis Conference & Expo 2024 to be held April 10 at Mankato Civic Center. The co-op is partnering with the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and the state Department of Agriculture and Department of Health to put on the event, which will include an industry with exhibitors, panel discussions and networking opportunities. MCGCIC spokesperson Leili Fatehi said the conference will be a venue for cannabis and hemp industry members, regulators and other stakeholders to share information on a wide range of issues affecting everything from industrial hemp to the low-dose, hemp-derived THC market to the adult-use marijuana industry. Sign up for updates here.
Cannabis expungements delayed, BCA says: Joey Peters of Sahan Journal sums up the state’s progress in implementing the new marijuana law, noting that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has updated its timeline for expunging low-level marijuana convictions in the state. The BCA website says these convictions will remain on an individual’s criminal history record until “closer to August 2024,” when “technical and programmatic changes can be implemented in the BCA’s criminal history system.” Read more.
Minnesota launches roadside test to catch drugged drivers: Ryan Faircloth reports that the state is rolling out a pilot project for a roadside saliva test for cannabis and other drugs this month. The Department of Public Safety demonstrated the new test at a news conference last week. During Minnesota's pilot project period, test results may not be used as cause for arrest or as evidence in court. The tests are being piloted exclusively for "the purpose of analyzing the practicality, accuracy, and efficacy of the instrument," according to the law. Officers must obtain a driver's consent to administer the saliva test. Officials must report the results of the project to the Legislature early next year. Read more.
Office of Cannabis Management announces new hires: In the latest edition of the agency’s monthly Cannabis Implementation Insider newsletter, the OCM welcomes five new employees in a range of roles, including general counsel, government relations director and tribal liaison. All of the new hires have prior government experience on their résumés.
From OCM:
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Jackie Crow Shoe (Kkiitoos aaki), tribal liaison
Jackie is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota. Her background with Minnesota tribal communities includes work as a consultant with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), which included overseeing the Tribal ICWA Advisory Council, as well as direct services for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Tribe. She has also served as a management analyst in the DHS Office of Indian Policy, where she assisted in the early stages of development of the Tribal State Relations Training. She started at OCM on Dec. 20.
Nikki Jensen, executive assistant
Nikki comes to OCM from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Office of Medical Cannabis, where she served as executive assistant to the division director for nearly five years. Prior to that she was executive assistant to the director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control (IDEPC) Division at MDH. She joined OCM on Dec. 20.
Sophie Leininger, government relations director
Sophie, who joined the OCM team on Jan. 3, previously worked for the Walz-Flanagan Administration for more than four years, serving as advisor to Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. In this role, she managed the Lieutenant Governor’s policy portfolio, served as a key surrogate with tribal nations and local governments, and coordinated the day-to-day operations in that office. Prior to that, Sophie worked as a member of the Communications Team in Governor Mark Dayton's Office.
Marisa Haggy, human resources director
Marisa comes to OCM from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), where she has been Human Resources Operations supervisor since August 2022. Marisa has a proven track record in human resources management, including serving as HR director for Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, interim HR director for Lake Superior College, among other positions in the public and private sectors. She starts on Jan. 17.
Eric Taubel, general counsel
Eric joins OCM with experience in legal work at two other state agencies and in private practice. He currently serves as general counsel for the Minnesota Department of Education, where he was responsible for building the agency’s Office of General Counsel from the ground up, and previously was an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. He also starts at OCM on Jan. 17.
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Minnesota launches roadside test to catch drugged drivers |
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Wisconsin Senate GOP leader says state-run medical marijuana dispensaries are a "nonstarter" |
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Mille Lacs Band plans to get into cannabis business (MPR News) - Read more.
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Feds will release marijuana rescheduling memo and related documents in response to lawsuit (Marijuana Moment) - Read more.
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Ohio House leaves marijuana users in limbo with weed policy (Ohio Capital Journal) - Read more.
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Virginia governor doesn't want to legalize recreational cannabis sales (WRIC) - Read more.
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Jan. 15: Getting Started Growing - "Gain hands-on experience with starting yoru cannabis plants from seeds, including selecting the right cultivars, understanding soil conditions and mastering ideal environmental settings." Hosted by Minnesota Cannabis College. 6:30 p.m. The Wilderness Fitness & Coworking, 1010 W. Lake Street, Minneapolis. Register here.
Jan. 16: Canna Happy Hour - "Join us for Stoner BINGO, prizes, and a live performance by the talented Strawberry and the Jam! Don’t forget it’s BYO for the smoking patio! This event is alcohol-free and bar service on the main floor will not be available to our guests." Hosted by Social AF and Sue McLean & Associates. 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Earl Giles Mezzanine, 1325 Quincy St. N.E., Minneapolis. RSVP here.
Jan. 17: Cannabis Growing 101 - "We have another growing class for you located on our home turf in Coon Rapids. Come stop by E-Cig Warehouse for a full seed to smoke crash course on growing your bushy friends." Hosted by Green Nectar Cultivation. 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. E-Cig Warehouse, 6111 US-10 #500, Ramsey. More info and tickets.
Jan. 19: Basic Indoor Cannabis Growing - "Have you ever wanted to learn how to grow your own cannabis? Now that it is legal to grow 4 non-mature and 4 mature cannabis plants, you can! Come down and learn what is meant by mature and non-mature plants, learn about the equipment that is used to grow inside your house, and the basics from seed to flower." 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Grower's Home, 164 E. 3rd St., Winona. More info and tickets.
Jan. 30: Social AF Home Grow Swap Meet - "A home grow swap meet and social hour, with live music, high-grade home grow samples and smoke-friendly outdoor patio. No cover. 21+." 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Hook & Ladder Theater and Zen Arcade. 3010 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis. More info.
Find more cannabis-related events at mnweedevents.com.
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This Methane autoflower from Gnome Automatics was grown by Silver in Minneapolis in a combination of soil and coco coir with Fox Farms "Dirty Dozen" nutrients. Thanks for sharing!
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As more and more Minnesotans observe “Dry January” and forego alcohol following the overindulgence of the holidays — and many younger Americans reporting that they drink less in general — bars and restaurants are taking notice and adding more mocktails and other booze-free options to their drink menus. Now, a trio of local event production pros have launched a series of curated “alcohol-alternative” events in Minneapolis throughout January.
Social AF is the product of Mariesa Sun-Saenz, her partner Luke Mason and Kimberly Gottschalk of Sue McLean Productions. The first event in the series was held Tuesday at Hi Flora!, an alcohol-free, cannabis-friendly vegan restaurant in Uptown, featuring food, drinks, vendors and a DJ spinning reggae tunes.
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| Mariesa Sun-Saenz (Handout)
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Two more events are currently on the schedule: Tuesday, Jan. 16 at Earl Giles Distillery in northeast Minneapolis featuring Stoner Bingo; and a home-grow swap meet at Hook & Ladder Theater and Zen Arcade in the Longfellow neighborhood. Both venues will have a designated outdoor space where smoking and vaping is permitted.
Nuggets spoke with Sun-Saenz this week about the event. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is Social AF?
Social AF is a new event series on Tuesdays during dry January. We are curating experiences that are not centered around alcohol, but are cannabis-friendly. Hopefully in the future, we’ll be able to showcase other types of alcohol-free local products.
What can people expect if they attend one of these events?
All the venues that we’re working with will offer a warm, inviting and welcoming place where you can feel at home and be comfortable. It will be an inclusive space and it will be cannabis-friendly, so there will be outdoor-smoking allowed [in a designated area]. At Hi Flora! (the first event, this past Tuesday), Luke is going to be spinning reggae and Hi Flora! is a vegan restaurant, so it’s a nice combo. There will be a few local vendors there. On the 16th, our second Tuesday, it will be at Earl Giles [Distillery’s] mezzanine, where they’ve been doing the canna-happy hour. We’re going to have Stoner Bingo in the back room and some live music. It’ll be a lively, fun environment with activities and networking and an event to get to know the community.
What is Stoner Bingo?
It will be bingo but all the things on the bingo card will be stoner-related. There will be some giveaways from local retail stores.
What else do you have planned this month?
On Jan. 30, we will have a home-grow swap meet at the Zen Arcade at Hook & Ladder Theater. There will be live music and the outdoor patio is smoker-friendly. The most important thing about the upcoming Social AF events is that they will hopefully all be very different. They will be in different areas, hopefully we will be able to expand the venues that are interested in doing these types of events. Each event will be unique based on the venue, the partners and what’s going on at the time. People can expect creative, curated experiences that are centered around being social together and celebrating cannabis.
Where did the idea for these events come from?
With our friends and our own personal direction, while we do still partake in alcohol sometimes, we’re definitely cutting down and taking advantage of some of the new THC products that are on the market. A lot of people are interested in having social experiences without alcohol. I think the Legacy Cup was probably the most important experience that I had personally, where 11,000 people were interested in an event like that. It was a good motivator that [showed] the market existed.
How easy has it been to find venues willing to forego alcohol sales?
Hi Flora! was an obvious choice because they do not have alcohol. Earl Giles was already doing a cannabis-friendly happy hour. We are partnering with places that already have a similar mission to what we’re doing. There are some other venues we’re talking to right now that are very interested in low-dose THC drinks. I think they’re realizing that there is definitely a very fast-growing market and some of them have side rooms or certain days that they’re willing to hold on alcohol for.
Do you see this becoming a regular thing beyond dry January?
I definitely think we’re going to continue doing Social AF throughout the year. I don’t know if it’s going to be weekly, most likely it will be more like a pop-up. We are collecting phone numbers for a membership that will allow people to receive pop-up info, local discounts at retail shops and other VIP things.
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Marijuana use and possession are now legal in Minnesota. Here's what to know. - Read more.
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A guide to Minnesota's new cannabis law - Read more.
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What you can and can't do with marijuana in your vehicle - Read more.
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What you need to know about cannabis crime expungement - Read more.
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Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management - Read more.
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