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(ABC 6 News) – With the recreational use of marijuana legalized in Minnesota last year for adults 21 and up, many businesses want to enter the emerging market.
RELATED: Gov. Walz signs recreational marijuana bill into law Tuesday
Before the sale of cannabis products is officially legalized, there’s still more work to be done by lawmakers at the state capitol.
Confusion surrounding the changes is leaving some business owners and law enforcement unsure exactly where the law stands today.
After receiving complaints from citizens about the sale of cannabis products that are illegal in Minnesota at local businesses in Albert Lea, the police department and Minnesota Department of Health conducted inspections of 12 retailers in the city.
Through the inspections, they found eight of the businesses had some sort of violation of the law.
“I know from doing these checks, I was astonished by how many different products are out there, and the gentleman that came down from the state said ‘yeah, we haven’t even scratched the surface,’” said ALPD Detective Dave Miller.
Some of the violations, like Big Dream Organics, were minor labeling issues.
“For a small verbiage change, we’re gonna make the change and we’ve already begun that process,” said Big Dream Organics co-owner Jerry Collins.
Others, like Anna Tobacco & Smoke Shop, were found to be selling TCHa products, that produce a psychoactive effect when heated, and aren’t yet legal in the state.
“If the whole state banned the flower from selling it, I’m not gonna sell it anymore in my stores, in none of them,” said Anna Tobacco & Smoke Shop owner Mohibullah Zahed.
ALPD chose not to issue citations against any of the 12 business because the changing laws are a learning process for everyone.
“There are several businesses that are doing everything they can to make sure they are abiding by the laws,” said Miller.
Collins and Zahed both emphasized they want to comply and operate within the law.
“I’m not entirely sure why they have that particular rule in place, but we try and meet the requirements and stay compliant best you can,” said Collins.
However, they’re asking for clearer guidance on what is and isn’t allowed.
“If the law says something that’s not good for me, for my business, the people, we’re not going to do that, but I want everyone to be on the same page,” said Zahed.
As the landscape of legalized cannabis changes in Minnesota, it’s up to retailers to stay informed about any changes to the law.
However, as the Office of Cannabis Management is still being set up – there’s a lot of details for officials to iron out so they can offer more direction to local businesses and law enforcement.
More information on how to legally sell cannabis products can be found here.
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