Minnesota lawmakers voted to expand the state’s medical cannabis program to allow patients to smoke the dried plant.
Jeffrey Thompson | MPR News
May 19, 2021
Medical smoking, approved
Welcome to Wednesday.
Today will be mostly cloudy with some (much-needed) scattered showers across the state and a chance for thunderstorms in southern Minnesota. Expect highs in the mid 70s to mid 80s — 60s and 70s if you're near Lake Superior.
In other words, while patients were previously restricted to liquid, oil and pill forms of cannabis, they can now smoke the plant, too.
This is expected to bring down the cost for patients and make cannabis accessible to more people.
The new law takes effect March 2022, or once a procedure is in place for testing the product from the state's existing manufacturers. (The one pictured above is LeafLine Labs in Cottage Grove). Minneapolis mourns, seeks change after recent gun violence.
At press conferences and vigils this week, community members gathered and asked the Minneapolis City Council for help.
Mayor Jacob Frey's proposed public safety plan includes adding officers to the city's police force, assistance from federal law enforcement and putting American Rescue Plan funds toward violence prevention, but other councilmembers are pushing back on the plan, suggesting that police are actually part of the problem. With summer program money, Walz encourages schools to get creative.
Not solely for summer schooling, the funding can be used for field trips, neighborhood programs and other strategies aimed at getting students caught up.
The funding will also go toward mental health support, access to tutoring, adult basic education programs and college readiness programs. A few other stories we're watching:
