The purpose of this chapter is to regulate the sale of legalized adult-use of any product that contains tetrahydrocannabinol and that meets the requirements to be sold for human or animal consumption under M.S. § 151.72 ("THC Products") for the following reasons:
(A) By enacting 2022 Session Law Chapter 98, Article 13, the Minnesota Legislature amended M.S. § 151.72 to allow the sale of certain products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
(B) The new law does not prohibit municipalities from adopting and enforcing local ordinances to regulate THC product businesses including, but not limited to, local zoning and land use requirements and business license requirements.
(C) The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine note that the growing acceptance, accessibility, and use of THC products, including for medical purposes, 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 city recognizes the danger THC use presents to the health, welfare, and safety of youth in St. James.
(E) The Minnesota Legislature recognized the danger of THC product use among the public at large by setting potency and serving size requirements.
(F) The Minnesota Legislature recognized the danger of THC product use among youth by prohibiting the sale of any product containing THC to those under the age of 21, requiring that edible THC products be packaged without appeal to children and in child-resistant packaging or containers.
(G) State law authorizes the Board of Pharmacy to adopt product and testing standards in part to curb the illegal sale and distribution of THC products and ensure the safety and compliance of commercially available THC products in the State of Minnesota.
(H) The city has the opportunity to be proactive and make decisions that will mitigate this threat and reduce exposure of young people to the products or to the marketing of these products and improve compliance among THC product retailers with laws prohibiting the sale or marketing of THC products to youth.
(I) Laws prohibiting the sale or marketing of THC products to youth are needed to ensure and improve compliance among THC product retailers.
(J) A local regulatory system for THC product retailers is appropriate to ensure that retailers comply with THC product laws and business standards of the city to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our youth and most vulnerable residents.
(K) A requirement for a THC product retailer license will not unduly burden legitimate business activities of retailers who sell or distribute THC products to adults but will allow the city to regulate the operation of lawful businesses to discourage violations of state and local THC product related laws.
(L) In making these findings and enacting this chapter, it is the intent of the city to ensure responsible THC product retailing, allowing legal sale and access without promoting increases in use, and to discourage violations of THC product-related laws, especially those which prohibit or discourage the marketing, sale or distribution of THC products to youth under 21 years of age.
(Ord. 012, fourth series, passed 9-19-2023)