ICYMI: Minnesota ‘Accidentally’ Legalizes Cannabis Edibles
The cannabis reform movement experienced one of its most unexpected and bizarre wins last week when Republican lawmakers in Minnesota accidentally legalized edibles containing THC.
The law was aimed at regulating delta-8, which is already legal, through a new health and human services funding bill. A key Republican senator who co-chairs the committee that passed the bill apparently never read it and did not understand what it did.
“I thought we were doing a technical fix, and it winded up having a broader impact than I expected,” Sen. Jim Abeler told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
“That doesn’t legalize marijuana—we didn’t just do that,” he insisted after the bill was passed.
Oh, but they did. In Minnesota, people ages 21+ can now buy food and beverages containing up to 5 milligrams (50 milligrams per package) of THC. There are no limits on how many units a person can take or buy.
Abeler wants to correct his mistake. But Minnesota’s Democratic Governor, who supports legalization, has already signed the law. Chances of reversal are slim to none.
Legalization advocates hope the following weeks and months will open some prohibitionists' minds once they realize the sky hasn’t fallen with legalization.
This will easily go down as one of the best stories of 2022.
