Highlights of the pot laws

According to the lawmakers, here are some of the highlights of the legislation:

Job creation

A report by Whitney Economics found that in 2020 alone – during a pandemic that left millions of Americans jobless – the cannabis industry created 77,000 jobs. There are around 321,000 jobs in the legal marijuana industry across the country. The legislation defines license categories for adult use: Breeder, Processor, Distributor, Medical Cannabis Vertical Retail (RO) Organizations, RO Cultivator, Microbusiness, Onsite Consumption, Cooperative, Delivery, and Kindergarten. Micro businesses are eligible for full vertical integration, including manufacturing, processing, distribution and retailing.

Grow at home

The MRTA allows individuals to cultivate a total of six cannabis plants consisting of three mature and three immature plants in their residence, and allows a total of 12 cannabis plants per residence. Individuals are allowed to have up to five pounds of cannabis in their place of residence, which is safely stored.

Cannabis office
administration

The MRTA will merge the newly created adult cannabis program, the existing medical cannabis program and the cannabinoid hemp program under the new OCM. Together with a board of directors and an advisory board, the office will establish regulations for the performance of its licensing and regulatory functions.

taxation

The MRTA sets the following taxes on adult marijuana: A tax on sales from a wholesaler to a pharmacy based on the milligrams of THC in the product. The tax rate would be based on the type of product as follows: groceries would be taxed at a rate of $ 0.03 per milligram of THC; Concentrates would be taxed at $ 0.008 per milligram of THC; and cannabis flowers would be taxed at a rate of $ 0.005 per milligram of THC; A 13% excise tax on cannabis with parts going to local authorities: Taxes on the sale of a pharmacy to the consumer at nine percent of the sale price go to the Cannabis Revenue Fund; and taxes on the sale of a pharmacy to the consumer at a rate of four percent of the sale price, which would be split between the county of sale (1%) and the municipality of sale (3%).

Opt-outs

Cities and villages could pass local laws prohibiting certain retail stores from opening within their borders. However, the MRTA contains provisions that allow voters to opt out. While they can unsubscribe from retail licenses, they cannot unsubscribe from other types of licenses. These opt-outs would also not prohibit adult cannabis use. Towns and villages can also regulate the time, place, and operation of retail businesses appropriately.

Punish

Unlawful possession of cannabis is defined as someone who possesses more than three ounces of cannabis or 24 grams of concentrate outside of their place of residence and is fined up to $ 125. Possession to anyone under the age of 21 would be treated similarly to alcohol.

This is a US $ 50 civil penalty payable to the OCM. That person would receive information about the dangers of cannabis use by minors and information related to cannabis use disorders. The bill also provides for additional crimes on property, with penalties ranging from a class A offense to a class D crime.

Cannabis is included in the Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) law, and driving while it is impaired by cannabis is considered an offense. If the arrested driver refuses such a chemical test, this refusal can – as under current law – lead to the driver's license being revoked for one year. It constitutes an unlawful sales crime for a person to illegally sell cannabis or concentrated cannabis that is fined $ 250 and establishes additional criminal sales crimes, the penalties of which range from a class A offense to a class crime C range.