Two Harbors Council Establishes A Cannabis Licensing Committee

In May of last year, Minnesota became the 23rd State to pass a bill into law that will legalize the use of cannabis products for adults 21 years of age and older. Passage of this bill follows the long recognized fact that many decades of the prohi­bition of marijuana have not worked to lessen the use of the product. Ac­cording to the U.S. Department of Justice, two Academy of Sciences studies “challenge exaggerated al­legations of marijuana’s harm and criticized marijuana prohibition for the social costs of unregulated black markets and the criminalization of millions of citizens.” At Monday night’s council meeting, Two Har­bors City Attorney Timothy Costly advised council members to begin exploring issues related to the regu­lation and sale of cannabis products. Though the law is not expected to go into effect until sometime in 2025, there are many components for of­ficials to consider prior to allowing dispensaries to open for business.

To assist with all of this, the state has established the Minnesota Of­fice of Cannabis Management. In order for cannabis dispensaries to operate in Minnesota, there will be various types of licenses that pro­spective operators will need to ac­quire. Additionally, the State will be establishing rules that will govern the operation of manufacturing and re­tail facilities, the packag­ing and labeling of prod­ucts, laboratory testing protocols and standards that will have to be met, and the establishment of an integrated cannabis tracking, inventory and verification system.

Council members Ben Redden and Uriah Hefter have agreed to head a committee to look into these matters and there will be a public meeting scheduled in the future to give cit­izens a chance to ask questions and give input.

In other news, an agreement has been signed with Rochon Construc­tion for the new liquor store proj­ect and bids for the 2024/25 Street Project are being sought. The Coun­cil decided to have a structural as­sessment done on the bandshell in Thomas Owens Park. The study will help determine whether the City should invest in the rehabilitation of the existing bandshell or replacing it with a new structure. The founda­tion of the current bandshell is ques­tionable and city maintenance crews have alerted the Council to structur­al defects that are evident.

A public hearing will be held on March 12th to talk about zoning up­dates and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Ca­reer Expo on Thursday, April 11th.

The next Two Harbors Council meeting is scheduled for February 26th at 6:00.