A few clouds. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable..

A few clouds. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.

Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reporting—but good journalism isn’t free. Please support us by subscribing or making a contribution.

O n Tuesday, both the Cambridge and Isanti city councils joined an ever-growing list of local governments enacting temporary moratoriums on the sales of cannabis/THC products. These moratoriums are in response to the state legislature surprisingly approving the sale of edibles containing a small amount of THC, which would classify those products as hemp-based. 

I’m not going to debate the merits of legalizing these products, nor will I debate the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana in general (which is speculated to be the next logical step that will be taken). However, these cities should be applauded for taking such action, and any local governments who haven’t pulled the trigger on similar interim ordinances should be heavily encouraged to do so.

The legislature’s actions last June are a prime example of how partisan politics is destroying our system of government, and every single person should be irate at our elected officials. The thing is, I don’t know who we should be more mad at. You have the Democrats playing what can only be described as sneaky politics by sliding this piece of legislation through at the last minute. You also have the Republicans who were completely asleep at the wheel in not paying attention to what in the world they were actually voting on, which allowed this to advance to Governor Walz’s desk.

I personally am leaning towards the Democrats on this one. In their zeal to get this passed, they completely ignored the repeated assertions that as of this moment, there is no way to quickly and easily determine the amount of THC in said products (if a product has less than point-three percent THC, it is considered hemp-based). As Isanti Mayor Jeff Johnson put it during their Committee of the Whole meeting on the topic, “how can we regulate this when the state doesn’t even have the right answers?”

Of equal, if not greater concern is the fact that without proper regulation of not only the contents but also the packaging of these products, the state legislature has made the jobs of local law enforcement and especially school officials infinitely harder. Much like attempts to make tobacco products more enticing to youth, the sale of CBD is being made to be enticing to youth. Unlike tobacco products, it is much more difficult to visually distinguish between regular gummy bears and cannabis-filled ones without much closer inspection.

Finally, as Isanti City Administrator Josi Wood pointed out since this legislation was dropped into our laps, cities have had precious little time to research proper ways to regulate who or where these products can be sold. So, without these interim ordinances, cannabis-filled candy clones could move in right next door to a daycare center or a school.

Hopefully, the state will swallow its pride and make appropriate modifications to fix its lack of foresight. But sadly, I won’t hold my breath on that. And in the meantime, here’s hoping the nonpartisan local governments can collectively come up with a permanent way to recover the state’s fumble.

BILL STICKELS III is editor of the Isanti-Chisago County Star. He can be reached at 763-689-1181 ext. 107 or editor@countystar.com. 

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!