Cook County Proposes Pot Retail Regulations After Two-Year Effort

The Minnesota Legisla­ture passed a bill, signed by Governor Walz on May 30, 2023, to legalize the use, possession, and cultiva­tion of cannabis within the state. The bill took effect in August 2023, but local and state regulations of canna­bis growing, sales, trans­portation, and use are still being finalized.

Cook County Commis­sioners formed a task force of community leaders and elected officials almost two years ago to create regula­tions for cannabis business­es and underage cannabis possession.

In a public rollout last week, the county proposed a ten-page draft of its can­nabis ordinance and pre­sented it at various public locations, seeking public comment on its provisions. You can find a copy of the ordinance on the coun­ty website: https://www.co.cook.mn.us/.

In the meantime, we at the Northshore Journal have read the proposed or­dinance so you don’t have to.

The document explains the purpose of the ordi­nance is to implement the provisions of Minnesota Statute, Chapter 342, which authorizes the county to regulate state-licensed can­nabis production, sale, and use within county boundar­ies.

The elected Cook Coun­ty Auditor is tasked with implementing and admin­istering the ordinance. The elected County Sheriff is responsible for enforce­ment. Cook County Public Health will monitor regis­tered cannabis businesses for compliance.

Before operating a state-licensed cannabis re­tail business in Cook Coun­ty, it must register with the Auditor’s office. An initial registration fee shall not ex­ceed $500. Once the Audi­tor determines the applica­tion is complete, it will go before the Board of Com­missioners for approval.

Cook County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) is required to per­form a compliance check on the cannabis business at least once each year to en­sure that the business meets state-mandated age verifi­cation requirements when making sales. In addition, the PHHS must conduct at least one unannounced age verification compliance check at least once each year.

The County Auditor is instructed to limit the num­ber of cannabis retail busi­nesses in the county to 14. Currently, there are two per organized township, two in Grand Marais and two each in the recognized un­organized territories of the county, east end, west end, and the Gunflint Trail.

Cook County and the City of Grand Marais are each authorized to establish, own, and operate a munic­ipal cannabis retail busi­ness, and those two will not reduce the previously ap­proved 14.

The ordinance goes into detail about legal quanti­ties for sale and possession and where cannabis may be consumed.

The state is imposing a 10% tax on cannabis-relat­ed sales. The tax proceeds will be divided 80% to Minnesota and the balance to local jurisdictions.

The Office of Cannabis Management is continuing to establish the regulatory framework for the cannabis industry. To prioritize equi­ty in the cannabis industry, it has opened a preapproval window for social equity applicants seeking business licenses.