Thousands vie for Minnesota adult-use marijuana licenses; 2025 launch possible
- Over 3,500 applicants have applied for adult-use marijuana business licenses in Minnesota.
- The final regulations for the market still need approval from a judge, but it is anticipated that adult-use sales could begin in 2025.
- Nearly half of the applicants are social equity applicants.
- The Office of Cannabis Management received applications for 10 license types, potentially leading to the issuance of around 2,100 permits for cannabis stores and 2,000 permits for cultivation.
More than 3,500 applicants are seeking adult-use marijuana business licenses in Minnesota.
Though the final regulations for the impending market still require sign-off from a judge, hopeful observers told The Minnesota Star Tribune that the application pool suggests adult-use sales could begin sometime in 2025.
In all, regulators received 3,529 applications for one of 10 license types as of March 24, according to data released by the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) this week
Almost half of the applicants – 1,741 – are social equity applicants, according to the OCM.
The license types available mean as many as 2,100 permits allowing at least one recreational cannabis store could be issued, along with as many as 2,000 permits allowing cultivation of some size, the Star Tribune reported.
However, the OCM is expected to disqualify at least some of the applicants, while others are expected to withdraw from eligibility, according to the newspaper.
Regulators received:
Four license types are capped under state law.
Capped licenses will be split equally between social equity applicants and general applicants, authorities have said.
For the uncapped license categories, the OCM received:
Minnesota legalized adult-use marijuana in 2023, but progress to launch a market has been too slow for some.
The OCM changed executive directors in January, several months after a judge ordered regulators to redo a social equity license lottery.
And regulators briefly extended a monthlong application window that closed in early March after a computer snafu.