MN Dems: We Kept THC-Edibles Legislation On Down Low So It Would Pass

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Democrats say they kept a bill legalizing THC-laced edibles on the down-low so that it would pass through the Republican-controlled state Senate.

THC is the active ingredient in marijuana, and the newly legal products will give users a similar experience to smoking cannabis.

"Drawing attention to this change in the regulatory structure, I don't think would have helped the bill pass," Rep. Ryan Winkler, a Democrat from Golden Valley, said at a Tuesday news conference.

"It was done publicly, we just didn't promote it because sometimes having more public attention amps up the level of political pressure that certain people in the other party may feel."

When the edibles law went into effect last week, it shocked at least one lawmaker who unknowingly voted in favor of it.

Sen. Jim Abeler, a Republican from Anoka, said he didn't realize the bill would legalize edibles containing delta-9 THC before it passed. Abeler chairs the Senate Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee.

"I thought we were doing a technical fix, and it winded up having a broader impact than I expected," Abeler told the Star Tribune's Ryan Faircloth. He said lawmakers should consider undoing the law.

Abler was likely not alone in his misunderstanding.

On Twitter, Faircloth said the "no comment" from Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller "suggests that the Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate's approval of a new law legalizing THC edibles was likely an accident."

In all previous legislative sessions, Minnesota Republicans have immediately stopped efforts to legalize cannabis.

Rep. Heather Edelson, the Democrat who authored the bill in the House, said she collaborated with the state Pharmacy Board and held multiple hearings for the legislaton.

Regardless of how the law came to be, it's most likely here to stay. And state Democrats and pro-cannabis activists plan to push forward more legalization efforts next session.

"Astounding that some GOP senators didn't understand the bill they passed and now want to roll this back," said Hunter Cantrell, a former Democratic state representative for Burnsville.

"This is a big step towards a regulated, legal, sensible THC/cannabis market in MN!"