Minnesota floats idea of central regulatory office for marijuana, hemp

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Minnesota regulators want legislators to launch a one-stop office that would oversee all aspects of medical marijuana – as well as a potential adult-use MJ market.

The office also would oversee the state’s fast-growing hemp and CBD market.

A central office, among other things, would help the state deal with unregulated and mislabeled products, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The Minnesota Pharmacy Board and the state’s agriculture, health and public safety departments requested that an Office of Cannabis Management be created to streamline the process of governing the medical marijuana and CBD industries.

More than 18,000 are enrolled in the state’s MMJ program, a 27% increase from 2018 to 2019.

During the same time period, the number of hemp farmers grew from about 50 to 400.

The number of medical marijuana dispensaries are expected to double in the near future.

That’s because Minnesota last August added chronic pain as a qualifying condition for MMJ.