Even though it's been more than a year since Minnesota legalized adult use, only a few people said they had used marijuana recently.
According to the latest MPR News, KARE 11 and Minnesota Star Tribune poll, only 14% of respondents reported consuming marijuana or THC-infused hemp products in the last month. However, the poll also found that a majority of those surveyed support legalizing marijuana at the national level.
Mason Dixon Polling & Strategy conducted a poll of 800 likely voters from September 16th to 18th. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Starting in August 2023, Minnesota will make it legal for adults 21 and older to possess, use, and even grow marijuana for personal consumption. So far, cannabis has not been widely sold to consumers because states set rules for the manufacturing stage. , transportation stage and retail stage.
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The White Earth Nation's dispensary, Wabigwan Mashkiki, was the second dispensary to open in the state last year, as the tribal community operates separately from the state's regulatory structure. CEO Zach Wilson said the low numbers for cannabis use in the poll could be due to accessibility and education.
The Wahbigwan Mashkiki dispensary quietly opened on July 31, 2023 to supply medicinal marijuana to the Mahnomen of the White Earth Nation.
Matthew Holding Eagle III | MPR News
“The convenience and ability to get our products varies depending on where you are in the state, and because we are by appointment only, accessibility may not be the best yet,” Wilson said.
Wilson said he thinks the number of people using marijuana will increase once dispensaries open across the state. White Earth Pharmacy continues to have a steady flow of customers, he said.
“We're definitely seeing a good influx every month in terms of new patients and new clients. We're currently selling between 4,000 and 5,000 people a month,” he said.
According to the poll results, 61 percent of those surveyed support national legalization.
Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump has voiced support for decriminalizing marijuana, saying he would vote in favor of a ballot measure to legalize marijuana in Florida.
Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris previously co-sponsored a bill to repeal the federal Marijuana Justice Act, which removed marijuana from the list of controlled substances considered illegal, while in the U.S. Senate.
In Fergus Falls, Lakes Area Grow Co. sells supplies for home cannabis cultivation. Owner James Elliott is worried about the issue because it could make business even more difficult.
Elliott said legalizing marijuana nationwide would open the door to interstate commerce, but while that would benefit corporations, it would only hurt independent businesses.
James Elliott is the owner of Lakes Area Grow Co. in Fergus Falls, which sells supplies for home marijuana cultivation.
Matthew Holding Eagle III | MPR News
“Local is the best. We grow the best. We use good genetics,” he said. “I'm not interested in interstate commerce. Businesses, anything big. I'm not interested at all.”
He also said federal regulations introduce further complexity.
“Everyone is really excited about the rescheduling of Schedule 3, and I want everyone to realize that it is still a prescription-only schedule,” he said. “It could impact home growers, it could impact dispensaries, it could be pharmaceutical-only products. So I like it the way it is. Leave it to the states. Please.”
State law allows households to grow up to eight plants, with four reaching maturity at a time.
Elliott also expects the number of cannabis users to increase once the state begins off-reservation retail sales in 2025.
Editor's note: Detailed poll results and complete methodology are available in a report produced by MPR News' sister organization, APM Research Lab.
