ELY- With all the talk at city hall about regulating the sale of edible cannabinoid products, the Timberjay hit the streets and the Internet in hopes of discovering how difficult, or easy, it actually is to find these THC-infused edibles that the Legislature legalized last year. For anyone not already aware, THC is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis that makes one high.
Our hunt for these no-longer illicit products began online, which helped to confirm once again that the internet is a vast repository of outdated and inaccurate information. According to the world wide web, cannabis edibles are widely available in Ely. Who knew?
For example, a search for “buy edibles in ely mn” pointed to Ely Liquor as a place to buy the Minny Grown brand of cannabinoids. Not so, according to Billy Bradley, an employee at the liquor store. “We used to carry some edible THC products right after the law passed last year,” said Bradley. “Then the state informed us that liquor stores can’t sell those.”
A lot of liquor stores and breweries around Minnesota initially jumped on the sale of THC-infused products last summer, which prompted the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Alcohol Gaming Enforcement Division to send letters to all of them telling them to stop.
That letter included the list of products that liquor stores can sell legally under Minnesota law, including booze, non-alcoholic mixers, cocktail glasses, and liquor-themed clothing – but not THC-infused edibles or food items not used on the creation of mixed drinks. A Minnesota liquor store can sell you a pair of Jack Daniels socks or a lime for your margarita, but not candy, a bag of pretzels or a frozen pizza. And certainly not a THC gummy.
Online, Ely Liquor is still listed by Minny Grown as a vendor for its products, suggesting that the company could do a better job of updating its website. Minny Grown is a Minnesota-based wholesaler of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. The Timberjay sent a request for information about how vendors are listed or delisted on the Minny Grown website but received no response before this article went to press.
Searching for “cbd in ely mn” sent us down a different rabbit hole. According to the web, both Mealey’s Gift and Sauna Shop and Ely Flower and Seed sell CBD products, which are products derived from hemp that offer many people a variety of benefits, yet don’t include enough THC to produce a high.
According to Ely Flower and Seed, they have never carried such products. Mealey’s confirmed that the gift store side of the business does sell ointments and gummies that contain CBD. Mealey’s does not carry any of the now legal THC-infused products and the sales staff confirmed that the store has no plans to change its current product offerings until the laws regarding these products stabilize.
In talking to businesses and customers around town, one gentleman helpfully recited all the places he personally knew sold CBD and THC-infused gummies and beverages. Following up on his leads sent the Timberjay to several storefronts, two of which were either closed for the winter or closed for several days every week so we couldn’t confirm whether they carried cannabinoid products.
We did confirm the sale of legal CBD and THC products at Mitska’s Market. The products, mostly beverages, were discreetly displayed in a glass case that only the staff can access. We also confirmed that both Zup’s Market and Lucky Seven sell Minny Grown brand delta-9 THC-infused gummies at their tobacco counters.
Those businesses aren’t affected by the current moratorium on the sale of such products in Ely, which only applies to any new or expanded sales in the city. The moratorium is expected to last until the city council agrees on a new ordinance to regulate the sales of such products. Ely clerk-treasurer Harold Langowski predicts that could well happen before the snow melts.
Many other sources
For those who are interested in purchasing THC-infused products, but would prefer a bit more discretion (yes, Ely is a small town) such products are also available in other communities in the area, including the Natural Choice Smoke Shop in Cook. There are also sources in Virginia. For those willing to negotiate the hassles and occasional risks of purchasing such products online, the sources and variety of products is nearly endless— and not necessarily legal.
For example, one of the online sellers, a Minnesota business with a Minneapolis office address will sell and ship a jar of 15 delta-9 gummies which have 10 mg THC per gummy. This is an apparent violation of Minnesota’s edible cannabinoid law passed last summer, which prohibits the manufacture, sale or shipping to Minnesota or any other state any edible cannabinoid product with more than 5 mg THC per portion and more than 50 mg total per package. While most websites that sell such products maintain a splash page that requires the user to confirm that they are 21 or older— which is unlikely to present a hurdle for many kids these days. That means anyone, including any young person with an internet connection and a debit card or Google wallet, can easily obtain cannabis products that exceed the current law in Minnesota.
That law, of course, may be changing. The Minnesota Legislature is currently moving legislation at the committee stage that would further legalize the use of cannabis products— legislation that is widely expected to legalize the adult recreational use of cannabis, or marijuana. Gov. Tim Walz has already indicated his support for legalization and is expected to sign the final bill.