Faribault store holds tent sale on day of marijuana legalization, has plants seized by police

(KSTP) – A Faribault business seemingly got a little too excited by the legalization of recreational marijuana in Minnesota on Tuesday.

According to Faribault police, officers received several complaints Tuesday that a business was selling marijuana plants during a tent sale.

At around 4:50 p.m., officers went to the business, identified as Total Tobacco, and found 22 suspected marijuana plants for sale.

Officers noted the plants were labeled by strain and some had THC concentrations exceeding the percentage allowed for legally grown industrial hemp.

Therefore, the officers seized the plants on probable cause and started an investigation into the violation.

While possession of recreational marijuana in certain quantities became legal Tuesday, sales from non-tribal dispensaries are still outlawed until businesses are licensed by the state, something that could take until 2025 to happen.

RELATED: What to know as recreational marijuana becomes legal in Minnesota on Aug. 1

It’s a quirk that is intended to allow the state’s Office of Cannabis Management to get fully set up so it can enforce regulations and issue licenses. However, it also led to some confusion for Minnesotans on Tuesday.

RELATED: Marijuana open for business?

Faribault police noted that nobody has been arrested at this time for the marijuana tent sale but the investigation is still active.

“The Faribault Police Department is committed to supporting businesses engaged in the legal sale of cannabis and cannabis-related products once the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management is established. Until that time, unauthorized sales of cannabis will be investigated in accordance with state law,” Faribault Police Chief John Sherwin said.