Otter Tail County – A moratorium on the sale of hemp-derived tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) foods and beverages, including products containing Delta-9 and Delta-8, is being considered by the Otter Tail County Board.
The purpose of halting the sale would be to give the board time to prepare a roadmap for licensing, enforcement and other logistics. The draft decree also expressed concern about the potential threat to the public health, safety and well-being of the population of the county, “especially the young people”. The state required that those purchasing the product be at least 21 years old.
A public hearing has been set for Monday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Government Service Center, 500 W Fir Ave., Fergus Falls, Minn. The public hearing is for county residents to share their opinions and comments on the topic. It was noted that the letters supporting or opposing the county sales of THC products already received by the board will be submitted for public hearing. The board emphasized: no decision will be made on the evening of the public hearing.
If the board were to adopt the moratorium at a regular board meeting, it would be in effect for 12 months, unless the county board terminates it before the deadline. The draft document stated: “In the absence of state licensing, cities establishing licensing and regulations, sales management control, identification control, enforcement, compliance checks, license fees and other regulatory matters may be exempted by city council resolution. from this moratorium.”
The board noted that other communities have passed moratoriums on THC-derived products, such as Pelican Rapids, Fergus Falls and Perham. Perham City Administrator Jon Smith was contacted by email after the meeting and asked what the city is doing about THC products.
Smith stated, “We are currently researching and considering an ordinance that would provide guidelines for the sale of products rather than outright ban THC products. We’re still researching and putting together the criteria for what that would look like. We’re hoping to have some discussion on October 26, a possible resolution and draft for our full committee, but we’ll see how well things come together.”
Masterpiece Alternatives, a company that sells THC products in Perham, was contacted but did not hear back from the owner at the time of publication.
Screenshot of the live meeting
Minnesota’s history with hemp-derived THC
According to a Minnesota Legislative Reference Library article, “
Minnesota Issues Resource Guides Cannabis
”, the cannabis plant can be either hemp or marijuana, and both contain cannabinoids such as THC, which is psychoactive, and cannabidiol (CBD), which is non-psychoactive. The
It allowed the production of industrial hemp in the United States, as long as the plant contains less than 0.3 percent THC, the article states.
Amended by the Legislature
In 2022, starting July 1, 2022, allowing the sale of hemp-derived products containing higher levels of THC, as long as the manufacturer complies with testing and labeling requirements.
“Products may contain no more than 5 milligrams of THC per serving, and no more than 50 milligrams of THC is allowed per package,” the article states.
The ordinance reviewed by Otter Tail County noted that THC is federally considered a Schedule I drug. Other Schedule I drugs include LSD and heroin. According to the DEA, “Schedule I drugs are drugs that are not currently approved for medical use and have a high potential for abuse.”
President Joe Biden recently released a statement on October 6th stating that he has reviewed the classification of cannabis.
