Cannabis law clarifies policies for medical patients, businesses

The omnibus cannabis law expands medical cannabis patient protections, clarifies expungement eligibility for some Minnesotans and creates a new lower-potency hemp wholesaler license.

Sponsored by Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) and Sen. D. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls), the new law took effect May 24, 2025.

Medical cannabis

Schools won’t be allowed to refuse to enroll a medical cannabis patient or penalize them solely based on cannabis being federally listed as a controlled substance, nor will landlords be allowed to refuse to rent to a medical cannabis patient or panelize them solely based on cannabis’ federal classification.

Additionally, protections for medical cannabis patients will be extended to patients enrolled in tribal medical cannabis programs, medical cannabis patients from out of state will be allowed to purchase products from a medical cannabis business while visiting Minnesota, and patients will be allowed to have medical cannabis flower and medical cannabinoid products delivered.

Health care facilities in Minnesota will be allowed to adopt restrictions on cannabis products, lower-potency hemp edibles and hemp-derived products. Those restrictions can include that the facility won’t store or maintain a patient’s cannabis products, the patient must keep their cannabis products in a locked container, it won’t provide cannabis or hemp for patients, and cannabis and hemp products must be used in a specific location.

Cannabis convictions

The law allows a person who received a stay of adjudication for possessing or selling cannabis to qualify as a social equity applicant.

A person will be eligible for expungement of a case involving multiple charges if they’re convicted of a cannabis-related count and the other counts were cannabis related and dismissed. Records related to both the conviction and the dismissed charges will be sealed.

Businesses

The law will allow a single-serving beverage to contain a maximum of 10 milligrams of THC and remove the requirement that those beverages be labeled as two servings. It will also increase the limit per serving from 25 to 100 milligrams of cannabidiol, cannabigerol, cannabinol, or cannabichromene.

Retailers will be allowed to give samples of cannabis plants, cannabis flower, cannabis products, lower-potency hemp edibles, or hemp-derived consumer products during a cannabis event.

The law creates a deliver-only option for lower-potency hemp edibles (the gummies and beverages with THC from hemp). A lower-potency hemp edible retailer can have an actual retail location, operate as a delivery service, or both. This would allow companies like DoorDash to deliver a range of things including lower-potency products.

Lower-potency hemp edible manufacturers will be allowed to manufacture, pack and label products intended for sale outside of Minnesota that aren’t compliant with Minnesota law but are compliant with the importing state’s law. Requirements placed on the manufacturers include physically separating those products from Minnesota-compliant products during the process and clearly stating on the packaging that the product isn’t for sale in Minnesota.

The new law creates a lower-potency hemp edible wholesaler license and sets the application fee at $250 and an initial license fee and a renewal license fee at $10,000 each. It also outlines from whom the wholesaler can purchase products and to whom they can sell products, as well as sets requirements for wholesaler operations, importations and transportation.

Two pieces of information will become mandatory for cannabis license applicants to provide: proof that they are a social equity applicant and an attestation that their business policies comply with state law. State law previously said applicants may provide that information.

For business license holders, the law will allow:

• a cannabis microbusiness and mezzobusiness to purchase immature cannabis plants and seedlings, cannabis flower, cannabis products, lower-potency hemp edibles, and hemp-derived consumer products from a cannabis cultivator, a medical cannabis combination business, a lower-potency hemp edible manufacturer or a lower-potency hemp edible wholesaler;

• a cannabis cultivator to sell immature cannabis plants and seedlings and cannabis flower to other cannabis businesses; and

• a cannabis retailer or cannabis wholesaler to purchase from a medical cannabis combination business and from a lower-potency hemp edible wholesaler.

Cities and counties that own or operate a municipal cannabis store will be allowed to hold a lower-potency hemp edible retailer license.

Other policy in the law will:

• make technical changes to reflect the medical cannabis program’s move from the Department of Health to the Office of Cannabis Management;

• add additional security requirements for people transporting cannabis consumer products;

• allow a cannabis testing facility to begin testing while its accreditation is pending if it follows requirements that include showing it is progressing in the accreditation process; and

• require the Office of Cannabis Management to submit a proposal to the Legislature by Jan. 15, 2026, on how to streamline the medical- and adult-use cannabis supply chain while preserving access to medical cannabis for rare and childhood diseases.

HF1615/SF2370*/CH31

SF2370* / HF1615 / CH31