The governor of Minnesota on Tuesday signed a large-scale bill that includes provisions to expand the state’s medical cannabis program, in part by allowing patients to access smokable cannabis products.
Earlier this month, a bicameral conference committee approved the reform, in addition to several other cannabis-related changes, as part of an omnibus health bill. The full House and Senate then took it up and passed it last week—and now Gov. Tim Walz (D) has signed the measure.
This comes after the House approved a bill to legalize cannabis for adult use following 12 committee assignments. That legislation stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate, however.
House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (D), sponsor of the legalization proposal, had predicted that the push for broader reform would lead to compromise policies like medical cannabis expansion.