Crow Wing County will move to have its cannabis regulations in place by year's end.
Deborah Erickson, county administrator, told commissioners Tuesday, June 25, there was talk of adopting moratoriums to have more time to prepare for legalization of cannabis. In 2023, Minnesota passed a cannabis law legalizing cannabis possession for people aged 21 and older with limits. The law also provided for licensing, inspection and regulation of both cannabis and hemp businesses. Other parts of the law include requirements for testing and labeling among other provisions, including the creation of a new state office for cannabis management.
"Minnesota's local governments will play a key role in oversight of the state's cannabis industry," the Office of Cannabis Management states on its website. "Local governments play a critical role in the licensing process, serving as a near-final approval check on cannabis businesses nearing the awarding of a state license for operations."
Erickson said previously a recommendation was to perhaps look at the moratorium option. "I'm here today to ask you to authorize us to move forward with actual ordinance creation now rather than looking at a moratorium," Erickson said.
One of the factors in the recommendation came with the recent release of a local government guide by the Office of Cannabis Management. "It did include better guidance for counties and municipalities and how to address our role of what we will be seeing and tasked with," Erickson said. "It also included a model local ordinance that can be adopted."
Read more at brainerddispatch.com