City of Minneapolis Marijuana Laws Will Now Match State Laws

The City of Minneapolis – never one to hold back in pursuing criminal “justice” – is correcting a ridiculous inconsistency between its own laws and those of this State. The City Council voted unanimously on Friday to reduce possession of small amounts of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a petty misdemeanor, which is what the State statute mandates. Thankfully, most city police officers enforced the state statute in the past. But, the passing of this measure avoids any ambiguity and some particularly salty prosecutors perhaps.

Important to know – a petty misdemeanor possession of a small amount of pot is not considered a crime in Minnesota. Still, prospective employers and landlords still treat this non-crime as a red flag. So, be careful in just agreeing to a petty conviction, assuming the consequences won’t be significant. The collateral consequences are still real and may require an expungement down the road.

For more on this new law change, here is the Star Tribune article on it – along with a link to a previous article discussing more of the details: http://www.startribune.com/council-passes-tweak-to-marijuana-laws/370280281/.