Marijuana is now legal in Minnesota. What does that mean for us in Wisconsin?
Recreational marijuana use is legal in Minnesota for adults 21 and older as of Aug. 1, making it another option for Wisconsinites to access the drug.
Minnesota is not only the 23rd state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, but it makes Wisconsin a pot-prohibited island. Michigan and Illinois also allow the sale, purchase and consumption of medical and recreational marijuana, while Iowa allows medical use.
Before Minnesota’s new law, 50% of Wisconsinites older than 21 already had fairly easy access to the drug, living within a 75-minute drive to a recreational marijuana dispensary in another state.
Here's what we know about the legalization of recreational marijuana in Minnesota and what it means for Wisconsin residents:
If I go to Minnesota, what marijuana is legal for me to have and do?
People in Minnesota who are at least 21 can possess, use and grow plants for personal consumption.
Adults can possess up to 2 ounces in public and will be allowed up to 8 grams of cannabis concentrate, edibles with up to 800 milligrams of THC and two pounds of cannabis at home.
As far as smoking in public, the law has its limits. Marijuana can't be smoked on public school grounds, where smoking is otherwise prohibited, in places where smoke or vapor could be inhaled by a minor, or behind the wheel of a car or boat.
Minnesotans also will be able to grow up to eight marijuana plants, but only four can be mature enough to flower at once.
When and where can I buy marijuana in Minnesota?
Recreational marijuana dispensaries likely won't open for at least another year as the state is still determining a regulatory system for commercial sales. When they do, there will be a 10% tax on cannabis products on top of existing sales taxes.
However, a dispensary in the Red Lake Nation — a tribal nation in north central Minnesota — opened the first recreational dispensary in the state Aug. 1 and anyone 21 and older will be able to shop there.
Native American tribal nations don't have to wait for the state's licensing system to open, since they're sovereign and operate independently from state laws and regulations.
Can Wisconsinites bring pot back from Minnesota?
No. Marijuana use, both medical and recreational, is still illegal in Wisconsin.
In fact, transporting marijuana from one state to another is a federal crime because cannabis is still illegal under federal law.
Is legal marijuana, recreational or medicinal, on the horizon for Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is one of 13 states with no form of legal marijuana. But, despite Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ numerous proposals to legalize recreational marijuana in his state budgets, it hasn't been popular among Republican lawmakers controlling the Legislature.
Though Republican leaders have said they wouldn't support a pathway for recreational pot, they signaled they were coming closer to creating a medical marijuana program for Wisconsin aimed at treating chronic pain.
Do Wisconsinites support legalizing marijuana?
An October 2022 Marquette Law School poll found 64% of registered Wisconsin voters said marijuana should be legal, with 30% opposed to legalization.
That support is highest among Democrats, with 82% supporting it, and lowest among Republicans, 43% of whom say it should be legal.
Sophia Voight is a local government and political reporter with The Post-Crescent. She can be reached with tips and feedback at svoight@postcrescent.com. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_voight.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: What Minnesota's legal recreational marijuana means for Wisconsin
