Legislation to allow licensed marijuana retailers to provide free samples at cannabis-related events was filed today in the House of Representatives, a day after an identical bill was filed in the Senate.
House Bill 2716 was filed today by State Representative Andrew Smith (D), with cosponsors Reps. Pete Johnson (D), Ethan Cha (D), and Nolan West (R). The measure has been referred to Commerce Finance and Policy Committee.
Senate Bill 2890 was filed yesterday with bipartisan support by Senator Zach Duckworth (R) and Senator David Dibble (D). The bill has been referred to the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.
If either the House or Senate version of the bill becomes law, cannabis retailers would be allowed to offer free samples of marijuana and marijuana products at cannabis-related events. The bill limits samples to one per product, requiring them to be clearly labeled and securely stored. Additionally, sample sizes cannot exceed eight grams for flower or concentrates or 100 milligrams of THC for infused edibles.
The proposed change would modify state statute (Section 342.40, Subdivision 7), which currently prohibits cannabis giveaways at events. Instead, it would permit licensed vendors to distribute limited samples under regulated conditions.
Existing safeguards, such as age verification, intoxication screenings, storage protocols, and mandatory tracking of cannabis products through the statewide monitoring system, would remain in effect.
