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Minnesota marijuana rules public comment period opens today

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Published  January 13, 2025 4:15pm CST
Cannabis
FOX 9

Minnesota cannabis license lottery on hold

A Minnesota judge has paused the cannabis license lottery, initially set for Tuesday, Nov. 26, after Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management approved about two-thirds of about 1,800 applicants for 280 licenses.

The Brief

    • The Office of Cannabis Management is seeking public input on its final rules and regulations that will govern Minnesota’s recreational marijuana industry.
    • Licenses for businesses to sell recreational marijuana won’t be available until May 2025 at the earliest.
    • By the time dispensaries open, Minnesota will be at least the third-slowest state to go from legalization to licensed retail sales.

(FOX 9) - Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has opened a 30-day public comment period for those hoping to provide input on rules and regulations governing the recreational marijuana market once licenses are doled out to business owners.

Cannabis commentary

What we know:

Minnesotans looking to offer input on what businesses can and can’t sell, as well as, rules that could govern those sales can submit comments here until 4:30 p.m., on Feb. 12.

After the comment period closes, the OCM says it will make any changes to its proposed rules based on "reasonable feedback."

The latest draft of current rules can be found in the 131-page document below.

According to the OCM, a final set of rules will then be sent to a state judge for confirmation, before heading to the Secretary of State’s Office and Gov. Walz, which has a 14-day veto window.

A final adoption of all rules will then be published – seen as a critical final step in launching Minnesota’s recreational cannabis industry.

Qualified cannabis business entrepreneurs could receive a business license as soon as rules are adopted.

Minnesota's marijuana market, licenses

The backstory:

Since legalizing recreational use on Aug. 1, 2023, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for entrepreneurs to get a business up and running.

Earlier in January, the OCM provided an updated timeline for its ongoing licensing roll-out to businesses looking to sell – showing that licenses won’t be available until well into 2025.

If all goes as planned – and up to this point it rarely has – a tentative date to hold a lottery for capped license types will be held in May or June, the OCM says.

By the time the first legal recreational sales happen on non-tribal lands, Minnesota will be the third slowest to spark a market.

In July 2024, the OCM gave a first look at regulatory proposals that will govern how businesses operate within the state in a 111-page document.

According to the OCM, the rules "reflect a desire to construct a regulatory environment that focuses on outcomes, and affords the autonomy to choose the best path to compliance."

In September, Minneapolis leaders proposed restrictions on cannabis businesses in the city.

City officials say they will continue working on their own set of rules ahead of licenses being issued.

The Source: Office of Cannabis Management and previous FOX 9 reporting.

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