Man in Minnesota Offers Free Grow Classes to the Public

A man in Minnesota is providing free growing and cannabis basics workshops—free to the public—to help people get a foot in the door of the industry. Minnesota allows home cultivation under its recently approved adult-use cannabis law, and residents are eager to see if they have a green thumb.

Minnesota adults are allowed to grow up to eight plants, four mature. Growing cannabis takes years of experience to master, but you gotta start somewhere. 

Inforum reports that Steve Rosenfeldt, who is the owner of Ediblez OTC in Moorhead, Minnesota, wants to share his expertise with the plant to others. Rosenfeldt is hosting monthly Cannabis 101 and Growing 101 Workshops, held on the last Tuesday of each month at the Midtown Tavern in Moorhead.

Locals say the skills they’re picking up will be valuable.

“Really nice to be able to learn how to grow your own and not have to go to the store,” Jamie Carrillo, who was one of 40 people to attend the most recent workshop held on Nov. 28, told Inforum.

Inforum reports that it’s the third class Rosenfeldt has taught so far. Each class attracted dozens of curious would-be growers of all ages, and some are reluctant to grow due to the lingering stigma surrounding pot.

“There’s still a lot of stigma, people are skittish of even being seen in here, so it was kind of a surprise to have as many people turn out,” he said.

Rosenfeldt is legally allowed to sell seeds that can grow cannabis at his store, but he cannot yet sell marijuana products. The store instead sells hemp-derived CBD and THC products. The seeds cost around $30 or $40, and it takes about four months for the seedlings to become mature plants.

Adult-use Cannabis in Minnesota

Last May, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed the state’s cannabis legalization bill into law, officially making Minnesota the 23rd state in the nation to legalize recreational cannabis.

The 300-page bill allows adults in the state over the age of 21 to use recreational cannabis and looks to transform the current illicit market into regulated, state-licensed businesses around the state. It specifically creates a new regulatory framework to license cannabis businesses to cultivate, manufacture and sell cannabis at retail dispensaries. There are a total of 12 different business licenses a person can apply for in the recreational market, along with additional licenses for medical cannabis.

The legislation also expunges low-level cannabis convictions. The new law will automatically expunge non-felony cannabis offenses, and it will establish a board to review more serious cannabis crimes.

The bill was designed with social equity in mind, granting social equity status to military veterans or active service members denied honorable status because of a cannabis offense, farmers from underrepresented communities and residents of areas which have “experienced a disproportionately large amount of cannabis enforcement.”

The industry is overseen by the Office of Cannabis Management, which controls the regulation and sale of cannabis products in Minnesota.

Home Cultivation Limit

When Minnesota legalized cannabis for adult use, it set the home limit at 32 ounces or 2 pounds. But out in public, Minnesota adults are allowed up to 2 ounces. The legislation allows adults to grow up to eight cannabis plants at home, including four mature, flowering plants.

Out of the states that have legalized cannabis for adult use, the limit for personal amounts at home in some states ranges from 1-10 ounces. Most states with home cultivation don’t have any limits set.

“The vast majority of adult use states that allow home cultivation don’t have any explicit limit,” NORML Political Director Morgan Fox told High Times at the time. “And most of them explicitly say that you can keep whatever you grow in your own home. There are four states aside from Minnesota that actually have set limits. Massachusetts has 10 ounces, Michigan has 10 ounces, Oregon is eight ounces and New York is 5 pounds.”

“If you’re gonna put a limit on it, I think it’s a good idea to have it towards the higher end of the spectrum and possible so that you can avoid potentially criminalizing people that are growing their own medicine or growing cannabis for their own purposes, but who are trying not to transfer to anybody else, you know, they’re not trying to gift it out, and certainly don’t want to be selling it.

Local business owners in the area, however, said that they predict 99% of consumers in the state aren’t going to have a need for 2 pounds of cannabis at home, and if they do, they will probably sell it illegally. 

Despite having the higher limit, industry insiders say it’s not enough for the state’s four-plant home grow limit.