Lakes Area Cities and Counties will need to Scramble to Create Rules on THC Edible Sales

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – Cities and Counties across the state of Minnesota are now scrambling to create rules and regulations for retailers who are now legally able to sell THC edibles in the state.

The law, which went into effect July 1 was initially framed as a way to regulate delta-8, an unregulated, but legal hemp product. Retailers are now able to sell products containing up to 5 milligrams of hemp-derived THC per serving in packages of up to 50 milligrams.

“What we inadvertently did was legalize up to 5 milligrams of TCH – it’s got to be from hemp – which is a lower concentrate of TCH than Marijuana, but it still has the same impact,” said Rep. Paul Marquart. “In affect, what we did was legalize recreational cannabis for edible gummies and even into beverages and food.”

Marquart says it leaves the state in a bind because there are no regulations and cities will need to determine how they want to handle the sale of these products, “There’s no regulation, there’s no warning labels that are required on any of these edible gummies, we need to come back and do some regulations. The Board of Pharmacy is going to regulate it, but it will be up to the cities and counties to decide what they want to license like they would license tobacco or liquor.”

The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy currently lacks a dedicated laboratory to test products for compliance but is in the process of creating one.

Members of the State legislature intend to offer a bill in the 2023 Legislative Session that will provide licensing on the state level, along with other changes.