The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management opened applications for most business license types on Tuesday, bringing the state one step closer to debuting its legal cannabis market.
Anyone seeking to open a dispensary may apply for a license now through March 14, and applications are also open to cities wishing to establish a municipal cannabis store.
Additionally, 210 social equity applicants who made it through the preapproval process and applied for licenses not capped by state statute will receive instructions for completing the licensing process. Social equity applicants who complete this process could receive their licenses once rule adoption is finalized, possibly this spring, according to the OCM.
“Getting licenses into the hands of business owners is our priority and today marks another step towards opening Minnesota’s cannabis market,” OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel said in a statement. “There is a great deal of interest from business owners who want to get started in this new space. We’re looking forward to working with applicants to take the crucial next steps in becoming licensed so they can make their businesses a reality.”
Municipal retailers and microbusinesses — single-site retailers that can operate up to 5,000 square feet of indoor growing space — are among the licenses that won’t be subject to a lottery this summer.
Applicants for licenses that are capped by state law — mezzobusinesses, retailers, cultivators and manufacturers — will be entered into a lottery sometime in May or June.
The roughly 400 social equity candidates who were preapproved for a capped license will have two shots to secure a license — first during a social equity lottery and again in the general lottery. Under state law, half of all capped licenses are reserved for social equity applicants.
The OCM originally planned to hold an early lottery last year to give social equity applicants a head start in the fledgling cannabis market, but the agency scrapped the idea when confronted with legal challenges.
A full description of license types and more information on the application process are available through the OCM’s website.
License applications for cannabis event organizers and lower-potency hemp edible manufacturers and retailers will become available later this year.
The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management opened applications for most business license types on Tuesday, bringing the state one step closer to debuting its legal cannabis market. Read More
