Beltrami Co. Sheriff Discusses Challenges in Enforcing MN’s THC Edibles Law

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office is trying to get a handle on how to enforce a bill passed last summer that legalized THC edibles in Minnesota.

On Tuesday, the county board requested an overview of the state’s laws regarding edibles and their impact on the community.

Sheriff Jason Riggs provided a look at how his office is working with the enforcement provisions of the current statute. While it does outline requirements, such as a minimum age for purchase or how businesses should properly package the product, Riggs says there are still vague areas of enforcement.

Sheriff Riggs described an incident that occurred a few weeks ago in Beltrami County involved a youth sharing edible gummies with classmates. Riggs says he questions the statutes’ limitations and what charges should be brought forth in this scenario.

Current bills in the state House and Senate to legalize recreation marijuana do have more enforcement provisions in them regarding edibles. These include training peace officers and increasing the number of drug recognition experts. It also allows local governments to conduct compliance checks of every cannabis and hemp business with a retail registration issued by the unit.