MN NORML St Cloud

05/10/2022

It's apparent to Minnesotans that the legalization of Ma*****na is a bipartisan issue that is an immediate concern for more Minnesotans than not.

We need your help to pass legislation in the House and Senate.
Can we count on you to help?

Sign The One Million Minnesotans For Cannabis Legalization Petition Below!

Tell Minnesota state legislators to let the people vote on cannabis! Representative Jeremy Munson, Republican (23B) did a poll on HF600 (full legalization bill) and presented the results from the first 1,000 respondents. Nearly all Republican and mostly female (60%) responses spread evenly across al...

03/07/2022

Hearing Alert: House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy. Tuesday, March 8th, 6:00 pm.

HF1355 (Gomez) Expanding cannabis decriminalization

What's the issue?
Minnesota decriminalized bud/flower cannabis in the 1970s, but did not include any other forms of cannabis, like edibles and wax, meaning that individuals caught with these products face felony charges instead of petty misdemeanor tickets.

This is increasingly problematic because the trends in MN's illicit market are shifting heavily toward non-flower cannabis, resulting in more felony charges instead of petty misdemeanor tickets.

Just how big of a problem it is:
In 2013, Minnesota’s Drug Task Forces (VCETs) seized 353 grams of non-flower cannabis. In 2021, that number ballooned to 580,533 grams of edibles and wax and 91,461 THC v**e cartridges.

Prison for a petty misdemeanor?
The feds think so. In US v. Foote (2013), a federal court sent the defendant to prison after counting a petty misdemeanor possession ticket in his criminal history score. You can read more about this here: https://gallagherdefense.com/2021/01/12/decrim-law-repair/

Who supports HF1355?
MN Chapter of Americans For Prosperity, the MN Republican Liberty Caucus, Senator Abeler who is chief author of the Senate companion, Sensible Change Minnesota, Minnesotans for Responsible Ma*****na Regulation (MRMR), ACLU MN, Minnesota's Chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policies, and Minnesota NORML.

The bill, HF1355, does the following:

(1) Reduces penalties for possession of a small personal amount (up to 8 grams) of non-flower THC products (edibles, wax, topicals, etc.) to a petty misdemeanor.).

(2) Removes a drug education program requirement and driver’s license revocations for those caught possessing or giving away a small amount of cannabis.

(3) Allows the expungement of records for individuals with felony records if the charge would no longer be a felony after this bill becomes law.

(4) Removes possession of a small amount of ma*****na from the definition of “crime of violence,” and provides a path to restore second amendment rights to those convicted of personal cannabis possession.

(5) Reduces penalties for some first-time offenders possessing more than the petty misdemeanor limit.

(6) Creates an affirmative defense in court for medical cannabis patients who weren't actively signed up for Minnesota's medical cannabis program at the time of their arrest.

(7) Provides automatic expungement for petty misdemeanor cannabis-related
offenses after a 1 year waiting period.

02/22/2022

Redistricting is here and there's a lot to learn!

Stearns County elections staff and the Stearns County Auditor-Treasurer Randy Schreifel are holding a public input session tonight, February 22, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. @

Stearns County Service Center
3301 County Road 138, in Waite Park.

This is the perfect opportunity to learn about the local redistricting process and find out how you can plug in!

Sharvari Hoosman will be there on MN NORML's behalf.

08/20/2021

Research for the win!.....again. 🤝

The analysis finds that there has been “no marked increase in cannabis youth by use” in the three-year period following legalization.

07/30/2021

It's not right that there are people still locked up for non-violent cannabis offences while others making billions off this plant!

We need more lawmakers willing to stand up and speak out.
*****na

On Sunday, the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD told CNN that “When it comes to decriminalization, I don’t think that there is value to individuals or to society to lock people up for ma*****na use. I don’t think that serves anybody well.”

07/29/2021

"A team of researchers affiliated with Florida International University assessed the association between cannabis use and motivation in a cohort of 401 adolescents (ages 14 to 17) over two years.."

Investigators reported, “[D]espite significant increases in levels of cannabis use in our sample, change in cannabis use did not predict changes in motivation, which suggests that cannabis use may not lead to reductions in motivation over time.”

07/29/2021

This updated edition reviews over 450 peer-reviewed studies assessing the safety and efficacy of either whole-plant cannabis or cannabinoids for 23 different patient populations.

07/28/2021

Breaking News!

Earlier today the DEA and Federal Agents raided the Champs Cannabis Trade show seizing Delta 8 Products and Detaining Vendors!

What does this mean for the future of cannabis trade shows?

Champs Trade Show is being raided for Delta-8 THC products in Las Vegas.

07/28/2021

The Federal House just approved an amendment that would protect Legal states with Ma*****na programs from Federal interference with 254–163 Vote!👏

As national support for federal ma*****na legalization continues to climb, the U.S. House of Representatives today approved important legislation to protect state, territory, and tribal cannabis programs from federal interference. The amendment, introduced by U.S. Reps.

06/23/2021

Congratulations Connecticut! 🥳

We're starting to fall behind here at home. If you have not signed the petition urging Senator Paul Gazelka to make cannabis a priority in Minnesota,

Sign it now and then share it! https://bit.ly/2ZkUXzt

“This legislation recognizes that the responsible use of ma*****na by adults should not be a crime, and that those who carry the stigma of a criminal record for their past use of cannabis should receive relief."