SOONER THEY CAN GET ON WITH THEIR LIVES.

>> Eric: EXCELLENT STUFF TONIGHT.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> ERIC: NEXT UP IN OUR QUEST TO HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION MEANS IN MINNESOTA, MARY LAHAMMER GIVES US A UNIQUE LOOK INSIDE VARIOUS STATE AGENCIES THAT ARE PREPARING FOR THE MAJOR CHANGE IN LAW.

>> Mary: WHERE ARE WE?

>> WE ARE AT THE PLANT AT THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

>> Mary: AND WHAT DOES HE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HAVE TO DO WITH MARIJUANA OR HEMP?

>> WE ARE GEARING UP -- >> Mary: THEY'RE GEARING UP TO TEST CANNABIS, JUST LIKE THEY'RE CURRENTLY TESTING LEGAL HEMP SEEDS WHICH ARE ALREADY AN ALLOWABLE CROP IN THE STATE.

>> THERE IS A PHYSICAL PURCHASE SEE THAT WILL HAPPEN IN SEED SO WE'RE GOING THROUGH 2500 SEED LOTS AND WE'RE LOOKING FORMATS, WEED SEED IN OTHER CROPS, AND WE'RE GETTING THE PERCENTAGE OF THOSE CONTENTS AND THEN WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT NOXIOUS WEED EXAM SO GOING THROUGH 25,000 SEEDS AND LOOKING FOR ANY NOXIOUS WEEDS THAT WILL BE RESTRICTED OR PROHIBITED IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

>> Mary: THE PERSON LEADING ALL THE NEW EFFORTS BEHIND LEGALIZATION IS NO STRANGER TO STATE GOVERNMENT.

>> I AM HELPING WITH EARLY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OFFICE OF SCAN ABYSS MANAGEMENT, WHICH INCLUDES LEADING THE SEARCH FOR THE NEW DIRECTOR AND GETTING SOME OF THE FOUNDATIONABLE PIECES IN PLACE TO PUT A BRAND-NEW REGULATED CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN MINNESOTA.

>> Mary: YOU'VE WORKED IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF STATE GOVERNMENT SO HOW IS ALL OF THAT MULTI-AGENCY, LEGISLATIVE EVERYTHING COME TO BEAR IN THIS?

>> ONE OF THE LUCKY THINGS IS I KNOW THE LANGUAGE OF STATE GOVERNMENT AND I KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE THE BUREAUCRACY FOR BETTER OR WORSE AND I DON'T HAVE THAT LEARNING CURVE SO I CAN REALLY HELP GET SOME OF THE PIECE INS PLACE QUICKLY.

>> Mary: BRYNAERT HAS WORKED AT THE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION, HUMAN SERVICES AND THE RACING COMMISSION, SO SHE'S DONE TEEDIOUS TASKS LIKE GOVERNMENT RULE-MAKING.

>> IT DOESN'T SOUNDS FUN.

>> Mary: BUT HOW IMPORTANT IS RULE-MAKING RIGHT NOW?

>> RULE-MAKING IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE LAW TELLS HE IS WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO.

>> THE RULES WILL TELL US HOW TO DO IT AND HOW THE AGENCY WILL ACTUALLY OPERATE.

>> Mary: LOOKS IKE APPLICATIONS ARE DUE ON THE BOARD ON MONDAY.

YOU NEED TO GET DIRECTOR -- SO YOU'VE GOT A COUPLE BIG DATES COMING.

>> E DO, SO WE POSTED HE POSITION FOR THE DIRECTOR, THAT'S THE KEY POSITION, RIGHT?

WE NEED A LEADER OF THE AGENCY WHO CAN BUILD A TEAM AND HIRE THE 100-PLUS EMPLOYEES WHO WILL OVERSEE AND REGULATE THE INDUSTRY.

WE ALSO POSTED POSITIONS FOR CANNABIS ADVISORY COUNCIL, AN OVERSIGHT BOARD THAT WILL BE NAMED BY THE GOVERNOR.

>> Mary: AND MINNESOTA HAS DOZENS OF OTHER STATES TO LOOK TO FOR GUIDESSANCE.

>> >> WE ARE LEARNING THE LESS SONGS OF WHAT WORKED IN OTHER STATES AND ALSO LOOKING TO STATES WHO HAVE REALLY STRUG TOLD GETS THEIR OPERATIONS OFFER THE GROUND TO TRY TO AVOIDS SOME OF THE PITFALLS.

THE GOOD IN US IS THERE ARE FROM PEOPLE HERE IN STATE GOVERNMENT AND THE LEGISLATURE WHO DRAFTED THE POLICY AND A WHOLE UNIVERSE OF ADVOCATES WHO ARE WILLING TO STANDS BY OUR SIDE AND HELP INFORM HOW WE DO THIS.

>> Mary: LEGALIZATION WILL INVOLVE MANY DIFFERENT AGENCIES IN DATE GOVERNMENT, TO PUBLIC SAFETY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC OF HEALTH AND DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND MORE.

>> IT'S INTERESTING, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE LIKE THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WHY IS THE WORK STARTING THERE?

>> RIGHT NOW, THEY DO A LOT OF TESTING FOR HEMP.

>> DEPARTMENTS HAVE OF HEALTH HAS BEEN REGULATING AND OVERSEEING REGULAR CANNABIS SINCE 2014, EVENTUALLY THAT WORK WILL COME OVER TO THE OFFICE OF CANNABIS MANAGEMENT.

THEY HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN ACTUALLY REGULATING CANNABIS FOR REGULAR PURPOSES, THEY'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH US AND WE WITH HEM.

>> Mary: COME AUGUST 1, COULD PEOPLE SEE AND SMELL MARIJUANA IN PUBLIC?

>> THAT IS A POSSIBILITIES.

THERE IS A PRETTY PERMISSIVE USE OF CANNABIS IN PUBLIC PLACES AND PRIVATE RESIDENCES BUT THERE ARE SOME PROHIBITION ATTENTION, WHERE CHILDREN MAY BE EXPOSED, SO A BUS DRIVER OR EDUCATOR CANNOT USE IF THEY'RE WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND THERE ARE EXCLUSIONS IN OTHER PUBLIC PLACES WHERE SMOKING OR VAPING MY EXPOSE CHILDREN.

>> Mary: WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO SAY THIS SEEMS FAST?

>> WE HEAR PEOPLE SAY THIS SEEMS FEES AND OTHER FOLKS SAY THIS IS NOT FAST ENOUGH.

THERE IS A TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO.

WE TELL THEM WE ARE TAKING OUR TIME TO BE INTENTIONAL WHILE ACTUALLY WORKING AS NATIVE AMERICAN BLOW AND QUICKLY AS WE CAN.

THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS IS TO HAVE S.A.F.E., ACCESSIBLE REGULATED MARKET.

>> Mary: BACK IN THE LAB, THE STATE HAS MANY LONG-TIME EXPERTS THEY'LL BE LEANING ON AS MINNESOTA EMBARKS ON FULL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION.

>> SO HERE WE HAVE [INDISCERNIBLE], SHE IS PERFORMING A SEED PURITY ON A GRASS SAMPLE, WE HAVE TO GERMINATE THEM, AS WELL, AND THERE ARE RULES ABOUT THAT.

WE FOLLOW THE AOSA RULES FOR TESTING SEEDS WHICH IS FOR ALL GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES.

>> Mary: THIS LOOKS LIKE TEDIOUS, SPECIFIC WORK WHEN WE'RE TALKING SEEDS.

>> IT IS VERY SPECIFIC, TAKES A WHILE TO LEARN HOW TO DO IT WELL.

THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ARE VERY HELPFUL.

SO WE HAVE CERTIFIED ANALYSTS