DFL Rep. Jessica Hanson said legislators employed in other industries can sponsor and vote on bills related to their professions. A government ethics expert called it a conflict of interest.
As state Rep. Jessica Hanson, DFL-Burnsville, negotiated a sweeping set of cannabis policy changes during the closing weeks of this year’s legislative session, her partner registered a new cannabis business called Weed Girl.
State business records show Joseph Nickleson, who the two-term lawmaker described as her “life partner,” registered Weed Girl LLC on May 3, while the legislative session was still underway. That same month, Hanson played a key role in pushing a cannabis omnibus bill across the finish line. She was one of two House sponsors of the bill and served on the conference committee that fine-tuned the legislation before the final version passed, with Hanson voting in favor. Hanson said she was not employed by Weed Girl during the session, she was working in her corporate health care job at the time.
Earlier this month, Hanson posted to her personal Facebook account an announcement for Weed Girl, inviting friends who want to help with “our business stuff that we talked about” to reach out.
Hanson has previously referred to herself at public events as a “weed girl.” In July 2023, two months after Minnesota lawmakers voted to legalize recreational marijuana, Hanson registered a business called The Weed Girl LLC, according to state records. That company is no longer active, she said.
“At the time I registered [The Weed Girl LLC], I thought I could start a business by myself but quickly learned that being a business owner was not in my cards given everything else on my plate at the time,” Hanson told the Star Tribune in a text message exchange.
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Hanson said her involvement in the new Weed Girl LLC is limited. She acknowledged working there but said she isn’t an owner or involved in day-to-day operations or decision-making. Weed Girl and its parent company, United Highs, are both 100% owned by Nickleson, Hanson said. She and Nickleson are Weed Girl’s only investors using their personal savings, she said.
“My role there is to be supportive as needed as it is in most start-up family businesses,” Hanson said. She added that “it’s important for me to understand what small business is like” after spending much of her professional career in the corporate world. Weed Girl will operate in the low-dose, hemp-derived market, Hanson said.
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