1 week Ago By By LAUREN VISKA [email protected]
During Tuesday’s Rice County Board of Commissioners meeting, Julie Runkel, the environmental services director, talked to the board about two policies related to cannabis, noting some needed changes. The first policy she talked about was Ordinance #910 Cannabis and Hemp Retail Business Registration. Runkel said there are some minor amendments needed to this ordinance to align with the change in rules that clarifies registration of medical cannabis combination businesses are not subject to the cap on cannabis retail registrations.
Edibles sit on display at a local retailer. An ordinance was passed Tuesday morning by the Rice County Board of Commissioners reagarding the regulation and permitting of temporary cannabis events. Ordinance #920 — Temporary Cannabis Event Permitting is effective May 1.
(File Photo — Faribault.com ) “This was adopted in November of 2024, and since then, the state has clarified that registration of medical cannabis combination businesses are not subject to the cap that we adopted in our ordinance,” said Runkel. “There is a slight amendment in this ordinance to recognize that, as well as just a couple of minor little changes that the tenor’s office recommended as well in this ordinance for 910 that was adopted previously for registration.
” One of the changes is in section 910.03 Definitions and states “Medical cannabis combination business shall mean the retail location of a medical cannabis combination business licensed to sell medical cannabis under Minn. Stat.
§342.515.” Another change is under section 910.
07 Application Submittal and adds when the application for renewal should be made, which is “at least 30 days, but no more than 60 days, before the expiration of the current registration.” Under section 910.11 Limiting of Cannabis Retail Business Registrations, they added that “Registrations of medical cannabis combination businesses, hemp retail businesses and municipal cannabis stores shall not be prohibited by the per capita limitation, nor shall such registrations be counted towards this limitation.
” Before, medical cannabis combination businesses were not mentioned in this, so the update was to add it. Under section 910.13 Hours of Operation, it was added that “All licenses, endorsements, and registrations must be posted and displayed at all times in plain view of the general public in the cannabis or hemp retail business.
” Runkel asked the board if they would have a public hearing on the proposed amendments. No one in the audience spoke up about this, so the board moved onto voting. The board voted to approve, and the amendments will be in full force and effect starting May 1.
The second policy Runkel talked to the board about was Ordinance #920 — Temporary Cannabis Event Permitting. This outlines the regulation and permitting of temporary cannabis events to protect public health, safety and welfare. She said they had met with a few different departments to work on this before presenting it to the board.
“We did meet internally with the sheriff’s department, county attorney's, public health, property tax and elections, as well as environmental services, and went through this and came up with a ordinance that, basically, it combines our registration ordinance along with alcohol and tobacco rules,” said Runkel. It says cannabis events would be able to last up to four days consecutively and would be limited from 10 a.m.
to 10 p.m, however a cannabis event organizer may hold a temporary cannabis event outside these hours during the on-sale liquor license hours at the same establishment. In this, it requires all organizers to obtain and county permit and state license to hold a temporary cannabis event, and they have to send in an application 30 days in advance.
It also states events are prohibited within 1,000 feet of schools and 500 feet of daycares, treatment facilities, playgrounds or athletics fields. If anyone violates these, it can lead to permit suspension and civil penalties up to $2,000. Repeated violations within 36 months escalate in fines.
Violations may also be prosecuted as misdemeanors. Commissioner Charlie Peters said he didn’t agree with the punishments. “I think they should be stricter,” said Peters.
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