The Braham City Council voted to suspend a moratorium on the sale of THC products and directed the city attorney’s office to draft an ordinance to allow those sales during a special meeting on Tuesday.
The ordinance will include provisions for licensing qualification, mandatory compliance checks and penalties for violating the terms of a license, including selling to a minor.
The Braham city council passed an interim moratorium on the sale of THC products last October. THC edibles were legalized in Minnesota in July of 2022.
According to Mayor Nate George, cities won’t have much local regulatory control if the marijuana legalization bill is passed into law.
"One of the biggest drawbacks as it stands right now is a serious lack of local control," George said. "Essentially, the state would take over regulation of the sale of those products, and it leaves very little say for local municipalities to really be able to handle it at their level."
If the marijuana legalization bill is passed, it would become law on Aug. 1. Minnesota would begin issuing licenses on Jan. 1, 2024.
The draft bill will go into the conference committee stage next before returning to the state House and Senate.
As written, the legislation won't allow cities to deny licenses, but they could limit how many licenses to give out.
The draft ordinance will be presented at a later council meeting for review. The moratorium will remain in place until the final version is passed.
