Minnesota Bills Would Tighten Hemp Labeling Rules and Expand Cannabis Market Reporting

Two marijuana-related bills were filed today in Minnesota by Representative Jessica Hanson (D), with both measures receiving their first reading in the House and being referred to the Commerce Finance and Policy Committee. House Bill 4201 would make a range of changes to Minnesota’s cannabis and hemp regulatory framework, with much of the proposal focused on licensing restrictions and product labeling. Among other things, the bill would make clear that a business holding lower-potency hemp edible licenses could not also hold a cannabis business license, and it would bar hemp license holders from holding cannabis business licenses as well.

The measure would also revise labeling requirements for cannabis products, hemp-derived consumer products and lower-potency hemp edibles. It would require labels to include more detailed information such as product type, directions for use, cannabinoid content, warning symbols showing the product is not for children, and poison control information. For lower-potency hemp edibles, the bill would create a standalone labeling section and would allow certain business information to be provided through a scannable barcode.

House Bill 4201 would also adjust rules for approved cannabinoids in certain hemp products. Under the proposal, products sold under that section of law could contain cannabinoids naturally occurring in hemp so long as they do not contain more than 0.3% total THC.

The second measure, House Bill 4203, would revise Minnesota’s cannabis study and reporting requirements. The bill would update how the Office of Cannabis Management handles required studies on the regulated market, the illicit market and impaired driving. It would also expand the contents of the office’s annual report to lawmakers.

If approved, the annual report would be required to include information on topics such as secondhand smoke effects, changes in marijuana potency in the regulated market, impaired driving data, racial and geographic diversity in the industry, and recommendations for funding public education, law enforcement training, social equity grants and related programs.