Now we have been on the Minnesota hashish bandwagon for some time. Like a number of applications, this one has been sluggish to roll out, and never with out its share of hiccups. That mentioned, it’s not New York, and I nonetheless firmly imagine that Minnesota could be a great cannabis state. On this put up, I’ll give a high-level rundown of the place issues sit in Minnesota hashish.
The place are we with Minnesota hashish licensing?
The Workplace of Hashish Administration (OCM) issued its first hashish enterprise license in June, and has preliminarily authorised greater than 1,000 candidates. This important step ahead got here after OCM scrapped its pre-approval license lottery final December, within the face of varied lawsuits. All candidates at the moment are shuttled into a typical licensing course of— though social equity-classified licenses nonetheless exist.
Accredited candidates have 18 months to advance from preliminary approval to full licensure. In contrast to some states, Minnesota doesn’t require candidates to safe a location earlier than making use of for a hashish license. Thus, many of those newly authorised companies are at the moment trying to tie down areas.
There are different issues that authorised candidates may also must nail down in the course of the pre-licensure interval, similar to native jurisdiction approvals, “remaining plans of report”, and many others. OCM has an excellent overview web page on the overall licensing course of here. Should you’d prefer to see issues condensed right into a move chart, go here.
When will we see a viable, regulated industrial market?
Initially, the state hoped to determine a industrial market in 2024. That ship has sailed, however issues are shifting ahead. We should always see some retail gross sales start within the subsequent few months, and most observers count on a gradual ramp-up in Q1 and Q2 of 2026. By this time subsequent yr, Minnesota ought to be buzzing from a broad client perspective, with further licensees constantly onboarding and backfilling this system.
Word that Minnesota differs from many states in that it lacked a strong medical hashish market previous to the OCM program rollout. For that cause, the state can’t simply “flip a change,” and pull in provide from present, medical grows. (Interstate imports are additionally prohibited, in fact.) Should you’ve been following Minnesota hashish information previously month or so, you’ve most likely seen tales like this one, the place a handful of early, licensed retailers are caught in limbo as a result of the cabinets are naked. Hopefully an excellent variety of cultivators arrive quickly.
Ultimately, the industrial market in Minnesota ought to be strong, with hashish gross sales shortly gaining floor on the hemp merchandise which are already, broadly on supply all through the state. Most sellers will probably be personal companies licensed by OCM, however some tribes are already up and operating, and, in an uncommon twist, municipalities are even entering into the sport.
Are there any key dates or deadlines upcoming?
Only one, or possibly two relying on how you work. Each relate to licenses for low-potency hemp edibles (LPHEs), a class that the legislature addressed extensively this spring, and which many are enthusiastic about in Minnesota. (Word: delta-8 and delta-9 THC are the one intoxicating, hemp-derived cannabinoids at the moment allowed by rule.)
On October 1, OCM will start accepting purposes for LPHE licenses. Candidates will embrace LPHE retailers, LPHE producers, and LPHE wholesalers. The LPHE licensing window is scheduled to shut on October 31, 2025. Companies registered earlier than April 14, 2025 and people registered after June 1, 2025, are eligible to apply in the course of the October licensing interval.
Cities that promote these merchandise via a municipal liquor retailer may also want to use for a LPHE license. Ditto for out-of-state companies that promote on-line to Minnesota customers. For extra info, OCM’s hemp-derived products webpage is an effective useful resource.
Lastly, please perceive that in contrast to with hashish, many of those hemp merchandise are already on supply all through the state of Minnesota, and have been for some time. (I took the image gracing this text in a Duluth grocery store, a number of weeks in the past.) The October LPHE utility window applies to present operators who need to maintain promoting these merchandise, in addition to new market entrants.
Keep tuned in to Minnesota hashish
We’ll maintain you up to date on Minnesota hashish via the top of the yr. Please reach out if you happen to suppose we can assist.
