2023 brought a flurry of activity within the Minnesota Legislature with a “bonkers” session in addition to chaos in Washington, D.C., involving Minnesota’s own Tom Emmer, however the story this 12 months for MinnPost readers was marijuana.

From where you may and can’t use marijuana to how you may grow it at home, the legalization of marijuana ignited the interest of Minnesota because the state continues to work out how the brand new law will probably be implemented and who will develop into the primary director of the Office of Cannabis Management after the primary pick withdrew.

But marijuana wasn’t the one thing readers were fascinated about this 12 months. Here’s a glance back on the ten most read stories from 2023.

‘Transformational’ and in addition ‘bonkers’: Minnesota Legislature ends its session of historic spending, policy changes

The 2023 legislative session was called essentially the most successful by DFL Gov. Tim Walz. It was actually productive with the DFL trifecta checking off the whole lot on their lengthy to-do list.

Peter Callaghan and Walker Orenstein wrote an extensive breakdown of the laws passed including legalizing recreational marijuana, codifying abortion rights, paid family and sick leave, restoring voting rights for people released from jail or prison, and so far more. The session, called “transformational” by some and “bonkers” by others, caught national attention, including former President Barack Obama, who wrote, “Should you need a reminder that elections have consequences, try what’s happening in Minnesota.”

Where you may and may’t smoke marijuana in Minnesota come Aug. 1

Once the bill was signed into law, the large query for Minnesotans was easy: Where and when can I smoke marijuana?

The law legalized recreational use across the state but left it as much as local governments and municipalities to create their very own ordinances regulating its use. So while public use of marijuana was made legal, a city could decide to limit where in public marijuana use was allowed. And lots of have.

Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls, told MinnPost public use of marijuana will likely be a spotlight of the 2024 session.

Formal effort begins to switch ‘cluttered genocidal mess’ on Minnesota state flag and seal

Minnesota this month chosen a brand new state flag but the method to achieve this began earlier this 12 months when the Legislature passed a bill to switch the state flag and seal by Jan. 1, 2024.

The present flag has been described as “problematic” and “a cluttered genocidal mess” resulting from its depiction of a Native American riding on a horseback in the space. Peter Callaghan writes, “While the pre-statehood-designed seal and flag is likely to be subject to interpretation, a poem written by the wife of the designer says this concerning the image: ‘We claim his noble heritage/And Minnesota’s land/Must pass with all its untold wealth/To the white man’s grasping hand.’ ”

What to anticipate in Minnesota if the federal government shuts down: furloughed employees, no passports

Fall in Washington, D.C., was chaotic as Congress struggled to pass a spending bill. Infighting amongst Republicans and talks of ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker created a looming threat of the federal government shutting down in October.

For Minnesota, that might have meant immediate impact to Social Security and Medicare, obstacles for firms with federal contracts, and furloughed employees.

Lindsay Whalen, now not U of M’s women’s basketball coach, skips presser saying, ‘I’m a human being’

In March, Lindsay Whalen was fired as head coach of the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team after the Gophers lost to Penn State in the primary round of the Big Ten Tournament. Whalen’s absence from the press conference where her departure was announced drew attention as to if the choice was mutual or not.

Pat Borzi took a glance back on Whalen’s time with the Gophs and the emotional day.

Home-grow marijuana may very well be legal in Minnesota Aug. 1, but can people legally obtain seeds?

As Minnesota equipped for Aug. 1 when recreational marijuana and residential grow would develop into legal, one query stood out: How can one obtain seeds in Minnesota when marijuana stays illegal federally?

Canada and Michigan were possibilities but one local expert said people would likely turn to the “legacy market” in the event that they didn’t need to wait for the legal market to be arrange in Minnesota. “If we’re talking concerning the everyman, people have been waiting for cannabis to be legal for a really very long time,” Bryant Jones said. “The everyperson will probably be searching their bags for seeds they’ve already, or with people of their immediate circle.”

Big changes coming to Minnesota’s recreational marijuana proposal to deal with worries from hemp edibles industry

As lawmakers worked to legalize recreational marijuana, they’d to concentrate on the prevailing hemp edible market as they were nervous the brand new law would hurt their businesses. Initial drafts of the laws created by lobbyists and lawmakers lacked certain terminology and clarifications and huge revisions were needed to to deal with concerns from industry experts.

On Minneapolis riverfront, ‘orphan hazard’ threatens St. Anthony Falls

A wall beneath St. Anthony Falls supporting the structure referred to as the “orphan hazard” is everyone and nobody’s problem.

Throughout the 2023 legislative session, money was put aside for the University of Minnesota to check the state of the wall and the extent to which it poses a hazard for the Mississippi River. If something happened to the wall the probabilities could include a brand new path for the river, dropping water levels or disruption to the region’s water supply.

But little is thought concerning the wall built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

A primer on the marijuana legalization proposal that would develop into law in Minnesota

Early within the 12 months, Peter Callaghan took a have a look at the 243-page bill trying to legalize recreational marijuana introduced by Rep. Zack Stephenson. “It will make Minnesota the twenty second state to go down this path because the first ones acted a decade ago.”

Minneapolis’ mayor wants employees downtown three days every week — and other takeaways from the State of the City address

In May, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey gave the State of the City address. Frey addressed crime, police reform, housing and, as Kyle Stokes wrote, “invented Tuesday.”

“During Mayor Jacob Frey’s State of the City address on Thursday, he acknowledged that Minneapolis’ population of downtown employees — a minimum of one-third smaller than it was before the pandemic — will likely never fully return to its pre-2020 levels.”

His solution? Encourage downtown employees to return into the office Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday while working remotely Monday and Friday.