Minneapolis is getting ready for a major reset on how it treats drug paraphernalia. The City Council has scheduled a public hearing for April 7, 2026 to weigh an ordinance that would decriminalize possession of drug paraphernalia and align the city code with a 2023 change in state law. Sponsors call the measure the “Care Over Criminalization” ordinance, a proposal that treats small-scale possession as a public-health issue instead of a crime. Councilmember Jason Chavez wrote the ordinance and is leading the charge at City Hall.
What the council will consider
The Council’s Committee of the Whole has officially set a public hearing on April 7 to review changes to Title 11, Chapter 223 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances. The proposal would strip out criminal penalties for possessing drug paraphernalia, according to the Minneapolis City Council. On the legislative docket, the item is listed as the “Drug paraphernalia decriminalization ordinance” and is shown as referred for that early April hearing.
How state law changed in 2023
The city is essentially catching up with state policy. In 2023 the Minnesota Legislature revised Chapter 152 and removed the statewide ban on possessing drug paraphernalia. Lawmakers also took items such as hypodermic syringes and fentanyl test strips out of the statute’s definition of paraphernalia, per the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Supporters of that overhaul said the shift was aimed at cutting barriers to harm-reduction services and reducing the fallout of criminal records for low-level offenses.
Why sponsors say it matters
Chavez and other backers argue that local penalties have not been enforced evenly and that treating paraphernalia as a criminal issue has gotten in the way of public-health work. They say removing those penalties would let harm-reduction strategies take the lead instead of arrests and fines. In a public post, Chavez framed the measure as a long-overdue update that brings Minneapolis rules in line with state law and puts a public-health lens on drug use. Advocates also point to racial and geographic disparities in both overdoses and enforcement as a key reason to act, something highlighted by the Drug Policy Alliance and state data.
Legal implications
Even with the state reforms on the books, Minnesota law still leaves room for local governments to keep or create their own paraphernalia rules. State statutes make clear that cities and counties retain authority over local ordinances, according to the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. That carve-out is a big part of why supporters say Minneapolis has to act if it wants local law to truly mirror state policy. Without a change, people in the city could still run into municipal penalties despite the statewide shift…