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CHRONICLING LEGAL CANNABIS IN MINNESOTA

By Matt DeLong

In this week’s Nuggets: Take a look inside one of Minnesota’s largest legal cannabis harvests to date; Rep. Ilhan Omar seeks ban “exemptions” for states regulating hemp-derived THC; ex-Minnesota House leader, prominent attorney are alleged victims in THC company fraud case; Minneapolis launches educational campaign to promote safe cannabis storage; Minnesota issues its first cannabis transporter license; Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) offers guidance on transportation to testing facilities, cultivation sources; and a roundup of local government news.

Inside one of Minnesota’s largest legal cannabis harvests to date: Prairie Island Indian Community invited us to its 13-acre cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility outside of Hastings to see the fall cannabis harvest. We were able to visit twice – once in September as the massive outdoor plants were filling out with flowers and again in mid-October as the team harvested a greenhouse full of Blue Dream plants. Here’s what we saw. This article is paywalled for everyone else, but free for Nuggets readers. Read more.

Rep. Ilhan Omar seeks ban “exemptions” for states regulating hemp-derived THC: “There’s an effort underway to rally federal lawmakers representing Minnesota to push the Trump administration to scale back a recently enacted ban on hemp-derived THC by providing a carve-out for states that want to regulate cannabinoid products, [Rep. Ilhan Omar] tells Marijuana Moment. But a GOP congressman who helped secure the ban that was signed into law last week by President Donald Trump says he’s not concerned about attempts to undercut the enacted law.” Read more.

Also: Minnesota U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar, alongside a bevy of state and local officials as well as hemp beverage business leaders, are slated to hold a news conference Monday at the Minnesota Capitol in response to the federal ban.  

Related:

Ex-Minnesota House leader, prominent attorney are alleged victims in THC company fraud case: An Eden Prairie entrepreneur with a lengthy history of civil judgments against him has been charged with stealing $76,000 from the THC beverage company he co-founded with former Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler and writing fake emails under the name of prominent Twin Cities attorney Chris Madel. Christian Schenk, 46, is charged with theft by swindle and theft in Hennepin County in connection with a series of illegal transactions related to Crooked Beverage Company. Read more.

Minneapolis launches educational campaign to promote safe cannabis storage: Minnesota saw a 176% increase in reports of potential cannabis poisonings between 2018 and 2023, according to data from the Minnesota Poison Control Center. Reports involving children under 5 increased from 7% to 24% of reported poisonings in that time and the Pet Poison Helpline listed cannabis as one of the top 10 pet poisons for all species in 2023. The Minneapolis Department of Health recently launched its “StashSmart” campaign to educate people about how to store their cannabis products safely. 

The department encourages you to store cannabis products:

If a child accidentally consumes THC, immediately call a medical professional or the free Poison Control Center hotline at 800-222-1222.

The department is also distributing odor-proof, locking, medication storage bags along with information about safe cannabis storage at community clinics and other locations frequented by caregivers. You can find more information about the campaign here.

Minnesota issues first cannabis transporter license: The licensing of businesses to transport cannabis products between cultivators, manufacturers and retailers is a crucial step in the launch of Minnesota’s recreational marijuana market. The OCM this week awarded the first transporter license to stayLIT LLC in Burnsville, and I’m told another transporter is set to be licensed early next week – along with the state’s first cannabis wholesaler. Here are the state’s newest licensees, with their authorized activities.

OCM offers guidance on transportation to testing facilities, cultivation sources: The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management released a pair of guidance memos this week for cannabis businesses. Until Feb. 17, businesses that are licensed to cultivate or manufacture adult-use cannabis products will be allowed to transport samples of their own cultivated or manufactured products to a state-licensed testing facility in vehicles equipped with storage compartments that meet requirements. The second guidance memo pertains to approved sources for licensed cultivators to acquire cannabis seeds, clones and plants. A list of OCM guidance memos is here.

Local government roundup:

Programming note: Nuggets will take a break for the holiday next week, but it will return Dec. 5. Happy Danksgiving everyone!

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A flowering cannabis plant growing indoors is nearly ready for harvest at Prairie Island Indian Community's cultivation and manufacturing facility near Hastings. Read the full story.  (Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minnesota Star Tribune)

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Nov. 22 (Sat.): Puff & Paint - "A little high, a little paint, a lot of fun." 6-9 p.m. 2520 S. 20th Av., Unit A, Moorhead. More info.

Nov. 26 (Wed.): Canna Club Happy Hour - This weekly event has a new home for the holidays at Steady Pour, but returns to Earl Giles Distillery on Jan. 7. 5-9 p.m. Steady Pour, 2125 E. Hennepin Av., Minneapolis. More info.

Nov. 29 (Sat.): Gro Together Class featuring Feel Good Flower - "Whether you're just a sprouting or a seasoned grower, come through to share knowledge, ask questions and build community." 6 p.m. Gro's Smoke Shop, 907 N. 1st St., Hopkins.  More info.

Got questions about cannabis? 

Send them to us and we'll do our best to answer as many as we can in future newsletters.