2023 brought a flurry of activity in the Minnesota Legislature with a “bonkers” session as well as chaos in Washington, D.C., involving Minnesota’s own Tom Emmer, but the story this year for MinnPost readers was marijuana.
From where you can and cannot use marijuana to how you can grow it at home, the legalization of marijuana ignited the interest of Minnesota as the state continues to work out how the new law will be implemented and who will become the first director of the Office of Cannabis Management after the first pick withdrew.
But marijuana wasn’t the only thing readers were interested in this year. Here’s a look back on the 10 most read stories from 2023.
[image_credit]Office of the Governor[/image_credit][image_caption]Gov. Tim Walz on Monday tweeted this image of a legislative to-do list.[/image_caption]‘Transformational’ and also ‘bonkers’: Minnesota Legislature ends its session of historic spending, policy changes
The 2023 legislative session was called the most successful by DFL Gov. Tim Walz. It was certainly productive with the DFL trifecta checking off everything on their lengthy to-do list.
Peter Callaghan and Walker Orenstein wrote an extensive breakdown of the laws passed including legalizing recreational marijuana, codifying abortion rights, paid family and sick leave, restoring voting rights for people released from jail or prison, and so much more. The session, called “transformational” by some and “bonkers” by others, caught national attention, including former President Barack Obama, who wrote, “If you need a reminder that elections have consequences, check out what’s happening in Minnesota.”
Where you can and can’t smoke marijuana in Minnesota come Aug. 1
Once the bill was signed into law, the big question for Minnesotans was simple: Where and when can I smoke marijuana?
The law legalized recreational use across the state but left it up to local governments and municipalities to create their own ordinances regulating its use. So while public use of marijuana was made legal, a city could choose to limit where in public marijuana use was allowed. And many have.
Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls, told MinnPost public use of marijuana will likely be a focus of the 2024 session.
[image_caption]The design of the Minnesota state flag adopted in 1983.[/image_caption]Formal effort begins to replace ‘cluttered genocidal mess’ on Minnesota state flag and seal
Minnesota this month selected a new state flag but the process to do so started earlier this year when the Legislature passed a bill to replace the state flag and seal by Jan. 1, 2024.
The current flag has been described as “problematic” and “a cluttered genocidal mess” due to its depiction of a Native American riding on a horseback in the distance. Peter Callaghan writes, “While the pre-statehood-designed seal and flag might be subject to interpretation, a poem written by the wife of the designer says this about the image: ‘We claim his noble heritage/And Minnesota’s land/Must pass with all its untold wealth/To the white man’s grasping hand.’ “
What to expect in Minnesota if the federal government shuts down: furloughed workers, no passports
Fall in Washington, D.C., was chaotic as Congress struggled to pass a spending bill. Infighting among Republicans and talks of ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker created a looming threat of the government shutting down in October.
For Minnesota, that would have meant immediate impact to Social Security and Medicare, obstacles for companies with federal contracts, and furloughed workers.
[image_credit]Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports[/image_credit][image_caption]Lindsay Whalen speaking to the media during the Big Ten Basketball Media Days at Target Center in October 2022.[/image_caption]Lindsay Whalen, no longer U of M’s women’s basketball coach, skips presser saying, ‘I’m a human being’
In March, Lindsay Whalen was fired as head coach of the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team after the Gophers lost to Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Whalen’s absence from the press conference where her departure was announced drew attention to whether the decision was mutual or not.
Pat Borzi took a look back on Whalen’s time with the Gophs and the emotional day.
Home-grow marijuana could be legal in Minnesota Aug. 1, but can people legally obtain seeds?
As Minnesota geared up for Aug. 1 when recreational marijuana and home grow would become legal, one question stood out: How can one obtain seeds in Minnesota when marijuana remains illegal federally?
Canada and Michigan were possibilities but one local expert said people would likely turn to the “legacy market” if they didn’t want to wait for the legal market to be set up in Minnesota. “If we’re talking about the everyman, people have been waiting for cannabis to be legal for a very long time,” Bryant Jones said. “The everyperson will probably be searching their bags for seeds they have already, or with people in their immediate circle.”
Big changes coming to Minnesota’s recreational marijuana proposal to address worries from hemp edibles industry
As lawmakers worked to legalize recreational marijuana, they had to focus on the existing hemp edible market as they were worried the new law would hurt their businesses. Initial drafts of the legislation created by lobbyists and lawmakers lacked certain terminology and clarifications and large revisions were needed to to address concerns from industry experts.
[image_credit]Photo by Joy Mulholland[/image_credit][image_caption]St. Anthony Falls [/image_caption]On Minneapolis riverfront, ‘orphan hazard’ threatens St. Anthony Falls
A wall beneath St. Anthony Falls supporting the structure known as the “orphan hazard” is everyone and no one’s problem.
During the 2023 legislative session, money was put aside for the University of Minnesota to study the state of the wall and the extent to which it poses a hazard for the Mississippi River. If something happened to the wall the possibilities could include a new path for the river, dropping water levels or disruption to the region’s water supply.
But little is known about the wall built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A primer on the marijuana legalization proposal that could become law in Minnesota
Early in the year, Peter Callaghan took a look at the 243-page bill looking to legalize recreational marijuana introduced by Rep. Zack Stephenson. “It would make Minnesota the 22nd state to go down this path since the first ones acted a decade ago.”
[image_credit]MinnPost photo by Kyle Stokes[/image_credit][image_caption]Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey delivers the State of the City Address at the Leef North offices in Near North, just west of downtown, on Thursday, May 4, 2023.[/image_caption]Minneapolis’ mayor wants workers downtown three days a week — and other takeaways from the State of the City address
In May, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey gave the State of the City address. Frey addressed crime, police reform, housing and, as Kyle Stokes wrote, “invented Tuesday.”
“During Mayor Jacob Frey’s State of the City address on Thursday, he acknowledged that Minneapolis’ population of downtown workers — at least one-third smaller than it was before the pandemic — will likely never fully return to its pre-2020 levels.”
His solution? Encourage downtown workers to come into the office Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday while working remotely Monday and Friday.
