> So how can one argue that it wasn't the intent of the law if it's written plainly in the law?
Again, in this case, that exception seems highly likely to have been crafted to permit a practice common at the time, not a practice that became common 40 years later. You pointed that gap out; you can't have it both ways.
"Here’s something you don’t see every day: On Friday, THC-infused edibles and beverages became legal in the great state of Minnesota, after a law containing the legalization measure was included in a health and human services funding bill. How did this measure get through? Critically, a key Republican state senator who co-chaired the committee that passed it didn’t read the text closely enough."
> It seems like you use "loophole" as a synonym for "things I don't like but are permitted".
Yes, that's precisely the definition of one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loophole "In a loophole, a law addressing a certain issue exists, but can be legally circumvented due to a technical defect in the law, such as a situation where the details are under-specified."
Again, in this case, that exception seems highly likely to have been crafted to permit a practice common at the time, not a practice that became common 40 years later. You pointed that gap out; you can't have it both ways.
Bills being passed that don't reflect legislative intent is hardly unheard of: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/07/minnesota-legal...
"Here’s something you don’t see every day: On Friday, THC-infused edibles and beverages became legal in the great state of Minnesota, after a law containing the legalization measure was included in a health and human services funding bill. How did this measure get through? Critically, a key Republican state senator who co-chaired the committee that passed it didn’t read the text closely enough."
Or when TN almost accidentally legalized child marriage: https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-politics/a-get-out-of-ja...
> It seems like you use "loophole" as a synonym for "things I don't like but are permitted".
Yes, that's precisely the definition of one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loophole "In a loophole, a law addressing a certain issue exists, but can be legally circumvented due to a technical defect in the law, such as a situation where the details are under-specified."