It is now legal to buy, sell, and consume low-dose edibles that contain up to 5 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for those over 21 in Minnesota. This is only allowed in food or drink form and can only be purchased by those over the age of 21, similar to the legal drinking age. THC is the main active ingredient in marijuana that allows a user to get “high”.
The law, which went into effect on July 1, 2022, comes after an effort to regulate delta-8 THC which is a cannabis derivative that is not regulated under federal or state law. The Minnesota law allows delta-9 THC to be regulated, which lowers the barrier of entry since delta-8 requires a lot more chemicals and is a lot harder to extract from marijuana than delta-9. This will allow retailers to save on costs and the time it takes to get THC to the shelves.
There are some legislators in Minnesota who highly oppose the law, such as Republican Jim Abeler who has called for a rollback of the bill after claiming he was not aware of the legalization effect when he voted in favor of it.
A push over the years to legalize marijuana and its ingredients to help with certain medical ailments has won the hearts of many states. As of right now, most states have some form of THC legalized. There are four states that still have THC fully illegal which include, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, and North Carolina. It is still illegal on a federal level according to DISA.
