Good morning, and happy Thursday.
MPR’s Dana Ferguson discovered another quirk of the new marijuana law: Minnesotans looking for a night out at a restaurant or bar face a choice under the state’s new marijuana law: Booze or THC products, but not both. The law that took effect Tuesday that legalized marijuana for recreational use by adults 21 and older also made changes to the state’s existing hemp-derived THC rules. And for some establishments, that means assessing what they're offering and how. “If you're coming in to experience a THC beverage, then that's going to be your choice. But if you come in to experience an alcoholic beverage, you know, that can be their choice as well,” said David Benowitz, president of Craft and Crew Hospitality. “But in terms of mixing them, there are new laws and regulations that already have to abide by. And that's something that's going to be new that I don't think a lot of hospitality owners realize that is in the new regulations.”
Michigan legalized cannabis in 2019. MPR’s Peter Cox checked in on how it’s going there: In 2022, there were $1.8 billion in marijuana sales in Michigan. And that generated around $200 million in taxes for the state, part of which gets distributed to schools, counties and cities. Also, each city gets $52,000 per dispensary. Before legalization, some had worried about the effect it would have on crime. "That was a huge concern for public safety, that there would be an uptick in traffic accidents, there would be an uptick in criminal behaviors, etc.,” said Jerald James, the assistant executive director of the Michigan Association of Police. “But it just has not panned out to reflect negatively at this point." Another big wrinkle in state legalization is that it is a heavily cash business because banks can't handle marijuana money under federal law. That can make dispensaries targets for robberies. The state issued warrants earlier this year for a group of 12 people involved in more than 20 dispensary break-ins.
Minnesota regulatory agencies are working on plans at the governor’s direction to streamline environmental reviews and permitting. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports the departments that assess the impact of projects on air, water and land were instructed by DFL Gov. Tim Walz within the last week to propose changes, according to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency deputy commissioner Peter Tester. “There’s a commitment by the Walz administration. There’s a commitment by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to take a look at how do we reform the permitting process. We can be more efficient. We can be speeding it up. We can make things easier,” Tester said Wednesday at the Farmfest agriculture expo near Redwood Falls. Accelerated consideration of agriculture, energy and other industrial projects could require more staff devoted to applications, better collaboration across agencies and clearer timelines. Some of it could depend on legislative action. Minnesota legislators appeared to welcome a possible push for changes. “The problem isn't regulations as a whole. The problem is not government as a whole,” said DFL Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Aric Putnam. “It's about making bureaucracies more efficient and more responsive to the people's needs.” Republican Rep. Paul Anderson told the crowd that it shouldn’t take years to reach decisions around permits. “We've heard some of this talk about we're going to make the process better, more streamlined,” he said. “But I really think it's time to put the pedal to the metal and get something done.” Permitting legislation could be on the docket for the 2024 Legislature.
Signs designating a section of Minnesota highway in the late musician Prince’s name will go up today. The Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to install purple Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway signs. They’ll go up along a seven-mile stretch of state Highway 5 that runs by his longtime Paisley Park home and studio in Chanhassen. The Legislature approved the highway designation as part of a bill signed into law in May. Prince died in 2016 at age 57 of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
The Minnesota Business Partnership has chosen Kurt Zellers as its new CEO. Zellers was a Republican state representative from Maple Grove for over a decade and one time Speaker of the Minnesota House. He has been a public relations consultant, a lobbyist and a gubernatorial candidate. Zellers said his experience at the Capitol will help make connections with business and policy makers. “We’ve got some great companies in Minnesota that provide 500,000 jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenue, and they are right here in our backyard. And we ought to do everything we can to work in conjunction to help them prosper. Not make it restrictive, not make us uncompetitive with our surrounding states. We want that expansion and development right here in Minnesota, we don't want to see it go someplace else." Zellers succeeds Charlie Weaver, who is retiring after 20 years at the head of the group that represents Minnesota’s largest businesses.
And the Republican Party of Minnesota has a new executive director. Anna Mathews, who had been running Rep. Tom Emmer’s campaign in Minnesota, got the job. “I believe the potential for growth and outreach throughout Minnesota is not only tremendous but achievable, and I look forward to working with every member of our Party to win in 2024. From Albert Lea to Bemidji, elected officials, delegates, volunteers, and voters are motivated to hold Democrats accountable for the reckless policies they passed this spring,” Mathews said in a statement.
A major change is coming to birth records kept in Minnesota, MPR’s Tim Nelson reports. Starting next summer, people who put children born in Minnesota up for adoption — in the past, and in the future — won’t be able to keep their names private. That’s a change, resulting from a bill passed by the Legislature earlier this year. Until now, birth parents have been able to veto access to original Minnesota birth records. But starting July 1, original birth records will be open to adoptees 18 or older who were born in Minnesota — or, in cases where someone who was adopted has died, to their immediate families. Ahead of that, the Minnesota Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records is offering a form that will be appended to original birth records, where birth parents can indicate if they would like to be contacted; if they’d prefer to be contacted only through an intermediary; or if they prefer not to be contacted. They also can include a short message. | 