MINNESOTA WILL BECOME THE 23RD STATE TO LEGALIZE THE RECREATIONAL USE OF MARIJUANA.

WE ARE GOING TO SPEND SOME TIME IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS EXAMINING WHAT THIS WILL MEAN AND HOW THE STATE IS PREPARING FOR IT.

UP FIRST TONIGHT, ONE OF THE CHIEF AUTHORS OF THE BILL IN THE HOUSE, DFL REPRESENTATIVE ZACK STEPHENSON FROM COON RAPIDS.

320-WHAT, PAGE BILL, THERE WERE 30 HEARINGS, NUMEROUS ENGROSSMENTS, CHANGES IN THE BILL.

IS IT HOLDING UP UNDER SCRUTINY HERE IN THE TWO MONTHS SINCE SESSION?

>> I THINK SO, BUT IT'S EARLY.

WHICH STARTED THE NEW AAGENCY, THE OFFICE OF CANNABIS MANAGE.

, THEY'RE STARTING TO HIRE PEOPLE AND LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE ENDS OF THE PROHIBITION REGIME WHICH STARTS ON AUGUST 1.

>> Cathy: WHAT'S HAPPENING, MONDAY, LAKEVILLE CITY COUNCIL IS GOING TO LOOK AT AN ORDINANCE THAT WOULD MAKE SMOKING MARIJUANA IN PUBLIC A NUISANCE.

DULUTH IS LOOKING AT BANNING SMOKING IN -- WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?

>> WE SETS THE FLOOR AND THE CEILING.

WE SAID THAT PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO CONSUME CANNABIS IN THEIR HOMES, THEY CAN'T DO IT IN SCHOOLS OR IN THEIR CARS, AND IT IS STUFF IN THE MIDDLE, PUBLIC PLACES, STREETS, SIDEWALKS, BILLS, THAT'S UP FOR PLOTS TO DECIDE.

I'M NOT SURPRISED TO SEE THEM TAKE IT UP.

>> Cathy: J MINNESOTA INDOOR KLEIN AIR ACT DOES BAN SMOKING, I ASSUME IT ALSO BANS SMOKING A JOINTS, TOO.

>> THAT'S RIGHT, IT INCLUDES CANNABIS AS WELL AS TOBACCO.

IT STARTS TO HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY ON AUGUST 1, O THERE IS A PROCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH MORE SERIOUS CASES, LIKE FELONIES, WHERE THEY GO BEFORE A BOARD TO DECIDE IF THEY GET AN EXPUNGEMENT.

THE BOARD IS GOING TO WORK THROUGH EVERY SINGLE ONE IN THE SYSTEM AND FOR THE LOWER LEVEL OH FENCES, MISDEMEANOR AND GROSS MISDEMEANORS, THOSE WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY EXPUNGED ARRANGED THAT PROCESS ALSO WILL START ON AUGUST 1 BUT THERE'S OME WORK TO BE DONE THERE TO GET THE TECHNOLOGY UP AND RUNNING AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO CODE THINGS TO GET THAT PROCESS DONE.

>> Cathy: WHAT -- HOW MUCH OF A LANDS RUSH WILL IT BE FOR THE LICENSES TO GET DISPENSARIES AND HOW WILL YOU MAKE SURE THERE'S DIVERSITY IN GETTING A DISPENSARY?

>> WE PRIORITIZED THAT IN THE BILL, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE HARMED AND THE COMMUNITIES HARMED THE MOST BY OVER-ENFORCEMENT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS BENEFITED THE MOST FROM LEGALIZATION, SO PRIORITY WAS GIVEN TO SOCIAL EQUITY APPLICANTS IN ORDER TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THEY BENEFIT THE MOST FROM LEGALIZATION BUT IT WILL TAKE A WHILE BEFORE YOU SEE DISPENSARIES OUT AND BWE HAVE TO GET THE AGENCY UP AND RUNNING, THERE HAS TO BE REGULATORY RULE-MAKING AND LICENSES WHERE YOU TAKE APPLICATIONS, CONSIDER THEM, SEE IF THEY MEET THE CRITERIA AND GRANTS LICENSES.

SO I THINK WE'RE 18 MONTHS AWAY PROBABLY ROM LICENSED DISPENSARY INS MINNESOTA.

>> Eric: CAN NOT SMOKING MARIJUANA BE A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT UNDER THIS?

>> IT DEPENDS ON YOUR JOB, SO IF YOU HAVE A SAFETY-SENSITIVE JOB, IF YOU, YOU KNOW, WORK, FOR EXAMPLE, SUPERVISING KIDS OR TAKING CARE OF SOMEBODY IN A HOSPITAL, YES, YOU CAN MAKE IT A CONDITION JUST LIKE YOU CAN FOR ALCOHOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES.

SO IT WILL PRETTY CLOSELY TRACK ALCOHOL IN THAT RESPECT.

>> Cathy: CAN FOLKS START GROWING AUGUST 1?

>> THAT'S RIGHT, STARTING AUGUST 1, PEOPLE CAN GROW UP TO 4 -- 8 PLANTS OVERALL, FOUR OF WHICH CAN BE MATURE.

WE'RE THE 23rd STATE TO LEGALIZE CANNABIS, ONLY THE 11th TO ALLOW HOME-GROWN.

>> Eric: DRIVING WHILE HIGH -- >> NOT ALLOWED.

>> Eric: THAT WAS A BIG PART OF THE DISCUSSION AT THE CAPITOL.

>> RIGHT, IT'S ILLEGAL NOW, IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE ILLEGAL.

YOU CAN'T EVEN ONSUME CANNABIS IN A CAR, THE SAME WAY AS WE HAVE AN OPEN CONTAINER LAW FOR ALCOHOL, A SIMILAR LAW FOR CANNABIS, EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT DRIVING, YOU CAN'T CONSUME CANNABIS IN A MOTOR VEHICLE.

>> Eric: WHAT ARE YOUR HONEST AS TO WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BLACK MARKETS, THE STREET-CORNER DRUG TRADE?

>> EVENTS WALLLY I HOPE IT GOES AWAY, THAT'S THE MAJOR GOAL OF THIS LEGISLATION IS TO TRANSITION FROM THE ILLICIT MARKETPLACE TO A LEGITIMATE ONE, BUT THAT WILL TAKE TIME.

IN SOME STATES THAT HAVE CAN ABUSINESS, WE SEE OVER 85% OF THE SALES HERE HAPPENING IN LEGITIMATE PLACES, PLACES LIKE OREGON AND WASHINGTON BUT THAT TOOK YEARS AND IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE IME IN HERE, TOO.

>> Eric: THERE ARE SOME TWEAKS IN THE LIGGER LAWS, YOUR COMMITTEE TAKES CARE OF THAT AND I SUPPOSE THERE WILL BE A MARIJUANA TWEAK FOR SESSION TOSS COME, WOULD YOU GUESS?

>> I WOULD ALWAYS SAY, ALCOHOL PROHIBITION STARTED 100 YEARS AGO AND AS YOU POINTS OUT, WE STILL DO LIQUOR LAGS, AND I'M SURE WE WON'T GET THIS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

>> Cathy: WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGING COME AUGUST 1?

>> I THINK, GETTING THE EXPUNGEMENT MACHINERY IS A REAL CHALLENGE AND A NECESSARY ONE.

THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT WHEN WHO CAN'T GET JOBS, CAN'T GET HOUSING BECAUSE OF CONVICTIONS RELATED TO CANNABIS, AND SOME CASES ARE DECADES OLD.

THE SOONER WE CAN GET THOSE CONVICTIONS OFF THE BOOKS,