Cannabis freedom has come to the Land of 10,000 Lakes! That’s right…the possession and home cultivation of marijuana is now legal for Minnesotans. Legislation permitting adults to possess and home-cultivate personal-use quantities of cannabis took effect on Tuesday, August 1st. That means those age 21 or older may legally possess in public up to two ounces of cannabis flowers and/or eight grams of cannabis concentrates. Adults may also home-cultivate up to four mature plants in a private residence and store up to two pounds of cannabis flowers. Adults may not legally possess open containers of cannabis products in their motor vehicles.

But that’s not all. Minnesota state officials will also begin the process of reviewing and expunging tens of thousands of marijuana convictions. An estimated 66,000 low-level marijuana-related convictions are eligible for expungement. That means, going forward, Minnesotans will no longer bear the stigma of a prior marijuana arrest and the lost opportunities associated with it.

For those keeping score at home, Minnesota is the 23rd state to legalize marijuana for adults, and it is the third to so do this year. “Nearly half of all Americans now reside in a jurisdiction where the adult use of cannabis is legal,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “To date, no state has moved to either curtail or repeal these legalization laws. That’s because these policies are working largely as voters and lawmakers intended and they are clearly preferable to criminal marijuana prohibition.”

Although the use of cannabis outdoors in public spaces is not explicitly forbidden under the law, local municipalities can prohibit such behavior. Unlike legalization policies enacted recently in several other states, including Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, Minnesota’s law does not provide language protecting those who consume cannabis at home from facing sanctions in the workplace if they test positive for cannabis metabolites on a drug screen.

Licensed retail sales of cannabis are not anticipated to begin until 2024. However, some Indian tribes are already engaging in retail sales on tribal lands.

Information provided by NORML