Another Minnesota House committee has approved a bill to legalize marijuana, after members adopted a large-scale amendment to overhaul various provisions of the legislation.
The House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee passed the measure in a voice vote on Monday. The panel, chaired by bill sponsor Rep. Zack Stephenson (D), first took up the legislation in January, but it was always the plan to have the proposal returned to the committee.
Like a recently adopted change to a companion bill in the Senate from Sen. Lindsey Port (D), the House amendment that lawmakers approved is primarily meant to address concerns from industry stakeholders who are operating under a cannabis law enacted last year that legalized low-THC edibles in the state.
The overhaul “eliminates some of the cannabis regulations that don’t make sense in the context of a low dose hemp market,” Stephenson told fellow panel members.
Among other changes, the amendment adds two licensing categories for lower-potency hemp edible manufacturers and mid-size cannabis firms classified as mezzobusinesses. It also revises provisions on vertical integration and stipulates that hemp business owners and workers are not subject to criminal background check requirements.
In some ways, however, the House amendment is distinct from
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