Minnesota’s retail marijuana rules sent for final approval before license rollout

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), tasked with overseeing the state’s retail industry, has announced it has submitted its final draft of rules governing legal cannabis sales.

Minnesota retail marijuana rules

What we know:

The OCM says on Tuesday it submitted its proposed rules governing legal cannabis for final approval – an act seen as the next step toward recreational cannabis dispensaries opening.

Much like the licenses themselves, the process has been multi-layered and involved several rounds of public input.

A first draft of the proposed rules was shared by the OCM in 2024 and sought public feedback. A final draft was then posted from Jan. 13 to Feb. 12, seeking Minnesotans’ final input before they can be approved by an administrative law judge.

A judge will now have 14 days to approve, deny or otherwise alter the rules. A final set of approved rules will then be published in the State Register – making them adopted, and in effect.

The OCM says it can begin issuing cannabis business licenses once the rules are formally adopted.

A full list of proposed rules can be found below:

Licenses in limbo

Dig deeper:

Nearly 200 prospective business owners whose applications for uncapped license types were qualified during the license pre-approval process are in position to receive licenses shortly after rules are adopted, the OCM says.

Qualified applicants in the four license types whose numbers are capped – cultivator, mezzobusiness, manufacturer, and retailer – will then take part in a series of lottery drawings for their distribution.

Lotteries for each license type will be conducted later this year for both social equity applicants and general applicants, the OCM says.

If not selected in the first lottery, qualified social equity applicants will have another opportunity to be entered into a second lottery along with the general applicants for remaining licenses.

To date, the process for entrepreneurs to receive a license associated with the retail cannabis industry has left some frustrated.

What they're saying:

"With the rules now in the hands of an administrative law judge for final approval, we’ve reached a crucial milestone. Following approval, prospective businesses will be able to complete their final steps and receive a cannabis license,"  said OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel, in a statement. "These rules lay the foundation to ensure Minnesotans can have confidence in a safe, well-regulated cannabis market."