In 2023, MNCOGI was at the center of legislative negotiations over how transparently the new agency that regulates how legal marijuana will operate.
For instance, as originally drafted, the legalization bill contained broad carve-outs for all closed investigative data related to past marijuana prosecutions. Also as initially proposed, it would have treated marijuana regulation and licensing more privately and secretively than has been the case for liquor-license holders.
With big help from unpaid citizen lobbyist Rich Neumeister and groups like the Minnesota Newspaper Association and the Minnesota Broadcasters Association, MNCOGI successfully helped steer the legislation toward accountability and preserving the public’s right to know.