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MN Cannabis Advisory Council holds first meeting
The council has 51 members, some of whom are appointed by the governor, and will make recommendations to the Office of Cannabis Management.
ST PAUL, Minn — Nine months after Minnesota legalized recreational marijuana, there are still a lot of questions about how to best sell it. The group that has a big hand in that future that met for the first time on Friday.
The Cannabis Advisory Council is made up 51 people, all of whom are experts in varying fields. They’re tasked with several priorities ahead of next year, when the state expects the market on legal pot to open, including:
- Reviewing national cannabis policy
- Examining the effectiveness of state cannabis policy
- Reviewing developments in the cannabis industry and hemp consumer industry
- Reviewing developments in the study of cannabis flower and other items
- Taking public testimony
- Making recommendations to the Office of Cannabis Management
“I thought my background, 20 years in food and beverage ingredients, would be valuable to the state as we go through rule-making,” said Kyle Marinkovich, the CEO of Northern Diversified Solutions.
His Burnsville business is having a big impact on the cannabis market that exploded last summer when Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana.
“We’re just one of a small handful of companies that do this sort of thing, that process hemp,” said Marinkovich. The scientists he employs turn locally grown hemp into liquid CBD that companies then buy to infuse into different foods and beverages.
It’s years of experience he says makes him qualified to sit on the Cannabis Advisory Council, one of the several members Governor Walz appointed.
In Friday’s meeting, the group focused on hiring more staff, streamlining the medicinal and recreational supply and strengthening the social equity process. That’s a head start of sorts for certain applicants selected through a vetted lottery that can get a fair shot at accessing capital and a temporary license as early as this summer.
The law also sets statewide caps on the numbers of licenses, in hopes of avoiding the free-for-all scenario that has unfolded in other states that legalized the drug.
“We build it and somebody else comes in and snatches up licenses, I think everybody wants to avoid that,” said Marinkovich. “We have really solid companies here that are capable and able to stand up a thriving industry.”
The legislature is considering tweaks to the law. Marinkovich calls the process difficult and is ready to put in the work to get regulation right in the growing industry.
“We can do it responsibly and we think it does more good than harm,” said Marinkovich.
The council also includes experts in toxicology, manufacturing, social justice and legal services and is required to meet quarterly.
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Court documents detail the charges against 25-year-old Ameer Musa Matariyeh, which include second-degree murder, attempted murder and fleeing police.
WILLMAR, Minn. — A Minneapolis man is charged with second-degree murder and multiple other felonies following a multi-county shooting spree Tuesday that left a New London man dead.
Court documents filed in Kandiyohi County Thursday break down the charges against 25-year-old Ameer Musa Matariyeh, which also include attempted murder, first-degree assault and fleeing police.
Prosecutors say the crime spree began in Minneapolis around 12:30 p.m. that day when Matariyeh fired several rounds from the top floor of an Uptown apartment building at his estranged girlfriend and her new partner. It would continue through several counties as the defendant was pursued west at high speed by Minneapolis police, eventually entering Kandiyohi County.
The criminal complaint filed against Matariyeh says Kandiyohi County law enforcement was informed shortly after 1:50 p.m. that a man was headed their way in a stolen vehicle on Highway 7, being followed by members of a multi-county drug task force.
Shortly after 2 p.m., a 911 call came in from a Kandiyohi County farmstead in Lake Lillian reporting that a man had been shot in the chest. The wife of the victim, 25-year-old Peter Mayerchak, told investigators he was out doing some work in the shed when she heard a pop, then looked out the window and saw her husband and another man yelling at each other. Mayerchak then ran into the house and she saw he had been shot.
Investigators later discovered multiple bullet holes in the home’s windows and walls.
Prosecutors say Matariyeh continued to flee west on Highway 7, and then on a county road at speeds reaching up to 130 mph. Eventually, law enforcement said, the defendant looped back to State Highway 23 and headed towards Willmar. Local law enforcement was informed that a Minneapolis PD crisis negotiator was on the phone with Natariyeh and that he was threatening to commit suicide by cop. Multiple squads, including one driven by Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson, were pursuing the suspect’s vehicle.
At 2:25 p.m., court documents say, law enforcement had OnStar disable the engine of the stolen car Natariyeh was driving, and one officer saw the suspect vehicle rear-end a green pickup near the Highway 7/23 bypass. That same officer said he saw Natariyeh jump out of the stolen Chevy, open the driver’s side door of the green pickup, and then noted that the defendant’s arm pointed and recoiled as if he fired a shot before running into traffic.
The criminal complaint says at that point, Sheriff Tollefson and another officer ran up to the pickup and discovered that the driver, identified as 55-year-old Jerome Skluzacek of New London, had been shot in the head. Responding officers attempted life-saving measures but Skluzacek was declared dead on the scene.
Multiple officers eventually caught up with Natariyeh, who raised his hands above his head and was taken into custody without incident. The firearms he allegedly used in the shootings were recovered near the highway median. While in the back seat of a squad car, Natariyeh reportedly said he wanted to die, and that he threw his life away because his girl had cheated on him.
Additional charges could be filed against Natariyeh in Hennepin County in connection with the shooting incident in Minneapolis.
Hunter Buckentine was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation.
CLEAR LAKE, Minn. — An Avon man will serve a prison sentence of nearly 10 years after pleading guilty in a 2023 crash that left one person dead and another badly injured.
The Sherburne County Attorney’s Office shared Thursday that 24-year-old Hunter Buckentine was sentenced to nine years and eight months in the fatal crash, which took place around 1 a.m. on Aug. 19. The Minnesota State Patrol said a vehicle driven by Buckentine was clocked at 132 mph on Highway 10 in Becker before it slammed into a second vehicle, killing 34-year-old Jordan Kramer of Clarissa. Another person in the car, 38-year-old Candice Pooler of Clarissa, was taken to a nearby hospital by air ambulance with life-threatening injuries while another woman was found in the ditch with minor injuries.
Buckentine would be charged with third-degree murder but eventually pleaded guilty to one count of criminal vehicular homicide and another of criminal vehicular operation.
“This level of recklessness on our roads led to senseless injuries and loss of life,” said County Attorney Kathleen Heaney. “The only measure of justice that the system can give to the families and friends impacted is that of holding the defendant accountable for his deeds. With this accountability, it is our hope that the families and friends may begin their journey of healing
A witness told investigators he had been drinking with Buckentine in a Becker bar before the crash. Prosecutors say shortly before hitting the other vehicle Buckentine took a Snapchat of his speedometer reading 150 mph and posted it with a caption that read “a new record.”
Crash reconstruction by the Minnesota State Patrol said Buckentine’s Infiniti was moving at 133 mph when it rear-ended the victim’s vehicle.
This free event will take place Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor’s Note: This photo is from the 2018 Artability event.
As the holidays approach, it is a great time to shop around for unique and artistic gifts for loved ones.
The Artability Art Show and Sale is a great opportunity to purchase local art and support a great cause. The event will platform artists who have mental health diagnoses.
This year’s theme is play and stations will be set up throughout the event so that visitors can craft their own artwork to bring home. This free event will take place at St. Paul’s Union Depot on Friday from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Artability is the greatest equalizer for individuals living with mental health vulnerabilities.” CEO of People Incorporated Mental Health Services Jill Wiedemann-West said in a release. “When they create art, they are simply artists.”
To learn more or get a glimpse of the work that will be on display, click here.
