The City Council makes the following findings regarding the need to regulate, license, and inspect establishments that sell certain cannabinoid products.
(A) By enacting S.L. 2022 Chapter 98, Article 13, the legislature of the state amended M.S. § 151.72, as it may be amended from time to time, to allow for the sale of certain cannabinoid products.
(B) This new law does not prohibit municipalities from licensing the sale of cannabinoid products derived from hemp locally.
(C) The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine note that the growing acceptance, accessibility, and use of cannabis and its derivatives have raised important public health concerns, while the lack of aggregated knowledge of cannabis-related health effects has led to uncertainty about the impact of its use.
(D) The legislature of the state recognized the danger of cannabis use among youth by prohibiting the sale of any product containing cannabinoid or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) extracted or otherwise derived from hemp to those under the age of 21 and requiring that edible cannabinoid products be packaged without appeal to children and in child-resistant packaging or containers.
(E) Due to the passage of this new law by the legislature of the state, the City Council believes the following rules, regulations, and standards for licensing the sale of cannabinoid products are necessary to promote and protect the public health, safety, and general welfare of the residents of the city.
(Ord. 2023-03, passed 7-25-2023)