Tag: minnesota

Minnesota Indian Tribe Plans To Launch Marijuana ‘Food Truck’ To Expand Business Across The State

A tribe in Minnesota that’s currently operating one the state’s only adult-use marijuana shops says it’s planning to open a mobile dispensary—effectively a cannabis “food truck” that can travel and do business on tribal land throughout the state.

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, which opened its doors to adult consumers on the day that a legalization law took effect this month, said it’s currently serving about 300 customers per day at its flagship location in Red Lake, with some people driving hours to visit the northern Minnesota town.

Now the Red Lake Nation’s NativeCare retailer wants to expand its operation and bring cannabis to more markets by moving around with the ability to set up shop anywhere on tribal territory.

Tribal Secretary Samuel Strong told Minnesota Public Radio that he’s “very excited to see how the community will respond.”

“Obviously, there’s some more security concerns that would be involved with a food truck, but very similar to that concept,” he said. “You know, setting up shop and being able to serve customers and have the same level of customer service while being mobile and being more available to our consumers.”

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GOP donor Anton Lazzaro sentenced to 21 years for sex trafficking minors in Minnesota

A formerly well-connected GOP donor convicted of giving teenage girls gifts, alcohol and money in exchange for sex was sentenced Wednesday to 21 years in prison on sex trafficking charges.

Anton “Tony” Lazzaro was found guilty in March by a federal jury of seven counts involving “commercial sex acts” with five girls ages 15 and 16 in 2020, when Lazzaro was 30. The charges carried mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years with a maximum of life in prison.

Prosecutors had requested a 30-year sentence for Lazzaro. They likened Lazzaro to financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested in 2019 on federal charges accusing him of paying underage girls for massages and then abusing them at his homes in Florida and New York. The defense asked for no more than 10 years.

“He’s a sex trafficker,” prosecutor Laura Provinzino said. “One who has shown absolutely no remorse. He has accepted no responsibility for his crimes.”

U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz came down in the middle and had harsh words for Lazzaro.

He said Lazzaro showed sympathy to only two people during the trial — “to himself and Jeffrey Epstein.” And the judge said he was struck by the “soulless, almost mechanical nature” of how Lazzaro exploited the girls.

“It’s almost as if Mr. Lazzaro set up a sex trafficking assembly line,” Schiltz said.

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Feds Recommend Buying A Map To Avoid Bringing Marijuana Into National Forests In Minnesota Following Legalization

The U.S. Forest Service is reminding people that Minnesota’s new marijuana legalization law enacted this week does not mean people can possess or use cannabis at national forests in the state—so it recommends buying a map to know where you can and can’t indulge.

On Tuesday—the same day that adult-use marijuana legalization took effect in Minnesota—the Forest Service issued an alert, notifying the public that possessing any amount of cannabis “is still prohibited on all National Forest lands and at all National Forest campgrounds and facilities.”

“Forest officials ask visitors to be mindful of National Forest System boundaries and to become familiar with relevant federal and state regulations prior to visiting the Chippewa and/or Superior National Forests,” it says.

The agency, which also sent out a notice last month to remind federal workers that they remain barred from using marijuana even in legal states, said that it’s received questions from visitors about the “legality of marijuana use on public lands” since the Minnesota legislature moved to end prohibition at the state level.

“While recreational cannabis use may be legal in the State of Minnesota, effective August 1, 2023, Chippewa and Superior National Forest officials are reminding visitors that it is illegal on National Forest System lands,” it said.

An FAQ section explains how national forests are federally regulated and, therefore, federal law applies and supersedes the state’s newly implemented policy.

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Minnesota Adults Can Now Legally Possess And Grow Marijuana, With Indian Tribes Launching Early Sales

Adults 21 and older in Minnesota can now possess and grow marijuana for personal use under a legalization law that was passed by lawmakers earlier this year and took effect on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the process of automatically expunging prior cannabis records is also being implemented by state officials.

While traditional recreational cannabis retailers are not expected to open until at least next year, other key components of the legalization law that Gov. Tim Walz (D) enacted in May have now gone into effect. Meanwhile, two Indian tribes have been preparing to get a head start on adult-use cannabis sales, with plans to open up shops as early as Tuesday.

Possession of up to two ounces of marijuana—and cultivation of up to eight plants, four of which may be mature at a time—is now legal. In a household, adults can possess a maximum of two pounds of cannabis.

Additionally, gifting up to two ounces of marijuana between adults without remuneration is now a legal activity.

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Justice Department Finds ‘Deeply Disturbing’ and Illegal Policing in Minneapolis

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced today that a Justice Department investigation found that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) engaged in “deeply disturbing” and illegal policing that violated the constitutional rights of residents.

A report by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division concluded that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) used unreasonable and excessive force, discriminated against black and Native American residents, and retaliated against reporters and citizens who recorded the police, violating their First Amendment rights.

The investigation was launched in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, and Garland said it uncovered the systemic problems that led to Floyd’s murder.

“George Floyd’s death had an irrevocable impact on his family, on the Minneapolis community, on our country, and on the world,” Garland said in a press conference. “The patterns and practices of conduct the Justice Department observed during our investigation are deeply disturbing. They erode the community’s trust in law enforcement. And they made what happened to George Floyd possible.”

The City of Minneapolis cooperated with the Justice Department, and the report notes that it has already taken several steps to reform its practices. City officials and the Justice Department have reached a tentative agreement to enter into a court-enforced settlement, known as a “consent decree,” to fix remaining issues.

Still, the report offers withering criticism of MPD’s use-of-force practices, finding that officers unreasonably and gratuitously used bodily force, Tasers, pepper spray, and firearms, including on minors and suspects who were compliant or handcuffed.

In one instance, an MPD officer tased a man who was filming him while a DOJ investigator was riding along in the squad car. The report also notes a 2017 incident where an officer fatally shot a woman who approached his squad car and “spooked” him. The woman had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in a nearby alley.

The report found MPD also routinely violated the First Amendment rights of people who criticized, protested, or recorded them, including credentialed media.

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Minnesota to provide illegal immigrants with free college tuition

Illegal immigrants will be eligible for free college tuition in the state of Minnesota, according to Axios.

Under Minnesota’s free tuition program, dubbed the “North Star Promise,” illegal immigrants will have their full tuition paid for if they enroll in a two or four-year program within the University of Minnesota or Minnesota State systems and come from a household with an income of $80,000 or less, according to Axios. To be eligible for the free tuition, applicants must have either graduated from a Minnesota high school or have lived in the state for a year without being enrolled in college full-time.

“We want to make sure that when we’re expanding opportunities for everybody, we’re doing it for all Minnesotans, regardless of background, regardless of their documentation status,” Democratic state Senate Higher Education Chair Omar Fateh told the outlet.

Applicants must also submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, which helps determine which students need financial aid, Axios reported.

The program will begin in the 2024-2025 school year and is expected to cost $117 million in its first fiscal year, according to the Associated Press.

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ATF: Marijuana users in Minnesota can’t own firearms despite new law

Just one day after Minnesota legalized the recreational use of marijuana, an agency that regulates the use of firearms warned that any current user of marijuana is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.  

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFT) field office in St. Paul, Minn., issued the clarification Tuesday shortly after Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana. The clarification states that under federal law, current users of marijuana are prohibited from possessing, receiving, transporting or shipping firearms or ammunition.  

“Until marijuana is legalized federally, firearms owners and possessors should be mindful that it remains federally illegal to mix marijuana with firearms and ammunition,” Jeff Reed, ATF’s acting special agent in charge of the St. Paul Field Division, said in a statement.

“As regulators of the firearms industry and enforcers of firearms laws, we felt it was important to remind Minnesotans of this distinction as the marijuana laws adjust here in the State of Minnesota.” 

According to an analysis by the RAND Corporation, nearly 40 percent of residents in Minnesota reported owning a gun between 2007 and 2016. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 18 percent of Americans reported using marijuana in 2019.

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Minnesota Will Be the 23rd State To Legalize Recreational Marijuana

Minnesota’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz, today reiterated his promise to sign a marijuana legalization bill that arrived at his desk on Saturday. That will make Minnesota, which legalized medical marijuana in 2014, the 23rd state to allow recreational use.

The Minnesota House and Senate, both of which are controlled by Democrats, had previously approved slightly different legalization bills. H.F. 100, which both chambers passed last week, reconciles those differences.

Adults 21 or older will be allowed to possess two ounces or less of marijuana in public, share that amount with other adults, keep two pounds or less at home, and grow up to eight plants, four of which are mature. Those provisions take effect on August 1.

The bill also establishes an Office of Cannabis Management to license and regulate commercial production and distribution. Marijuana products will be subject to a 10 percent retail tax, in addition to standard state and local sales taxes (which total about 8 percent in Minneapolis, for example). Local governments will be allowed to regulate retailers and cap their number but will not be allowed to ban them entirely. Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL–Coon Rapids), a co-author of the bill, said licensed sales should begin in 12 to 18 months.

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He was an unwilling passenger in a high-speed chase. Police still seized his car.

Shortly after police used spike strips to end a high-speed chase on Interstate 90 last July, the owner of the car immediately began pleading his innocence to officers.

Dash camera and body camera video obtained by 5 INVESTIGATES shows Phouthong Thongvanh getting out of the passenger side with his hands up.

“I told him to stop! I was yelling at him, fighting with him in the car,” Thongvanh can be heard saying to a Worthington police officer in the body camera footage. 

While officers arrested the driver and another passenger, Thongvanh, 41, did not end up facing any criminal charges.

But police told him they were still taking his 2014 Nissan Altima.

“We’re seizing it now,” Officer Mark Riley can be heard saying in the body camera video. “It’s State of Minnesota’s.”

Thongvanh later said he did not immediately understand what police were telling him.

“I thought they were just taking it, like impounding it or something,” he said. “I didn’t think they were going to keep it.”

The Nobles County Attorney filed a civil action to permanently take Thongvanh’s car through the state’s controversial forfeiture process.

It’s an example of how police in Minnesota can still seize and keep the property of people even when they are not charged with a crime, despite recent reforms to help protect “innocent owners.”

Critics say it also reinforces concerns that the practice disproportionately impacts low-income communities and people of color, especially in Nobles County, which has been repeatedly accused of violating the civil rights of minorities.

“It’s those people who are hit the hardest when their car or a small amount of money is seized from them, and that can sometimes put their lives into a tailspin,” said Dan Alban, senior attorney with the nonprofit Institute for Justice.

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Leftist Minnesota Just Gave State Power To Take Kids Away If Parents Don’t Approve Gender Surgery

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Thursday signed into law a bill making the state a “sanctuary” for children, including those from out of state, seeking gender-altering surgery without the consent of their parents.

The new law gives state courts temporary emergency jurisdiction over any child in Minnesota who has been abandoned, is in need of protection from abuse, or has “been unable to obtain gender-affirming health care.” The law defines such care as “medically necessary health care or mental health care that respects the gender identity of the patient, as experienced and defined by the patient” and specifically cites puberty blockers and chemical and surgical procedures “to align the patient’s appearance or physical body with the patient’s gender identity.”

“We just signed the Conversion Therapy Ban, Reproductive Freedom Defense Act, and Trans Refuge Bill into law,” said Democrat Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “In Minnesota, we’re building a state where everyone is safe to be who they are, love who they love, and live without fear of violence and discrimination.”

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