First Cannabis Business Licenses Awarded in Minnesota

The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OC) awarded 249 cannabis
business licenses last week during the state’s first cannabis licensing
lottery.

The virtual lotteries were streamed online via YouTube on Thursday. The
lotteries covered social equity applicants and general applicants seeking
cannabis cultivator, manufacturer, and mezzobusiness licenses. Officials
also held a fourth lottery for social equity applicants seeking a retailer
license. Winning applicants have moved to the final steps of the licensing
process.

“This is an exciting day for business owners preparing to establish
themselves in the state’s new adult-use cannabis market. We’re setting a
strong foundation for an equitable and safe adult-use cannabis market that
will mature over the next few years.” — OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel,
in a press release

OCM will hold a follow-up general lottery for retail licenses on July 22,
and social equity applicants who were not selected during the initial
lottery will have another chance at winning a license. In Minnesota, social
equity applicants include people who were previously convicted of a
cannabis crime, military veterans, and people living in areas with higher
poverty rates or historically high rates of cannabis enforcement, among other
qualifications set by the state.

Additionally, there will be another lottery later in the summer for
cannabis event organizer applications.

“There’s a lot of cannabis that needs to be grown, a lot of cannabis
products that need to be manufactured, and today’s lottery will set the
course for a number of those new operators to start to build in that
capacity,” Taubel told Minnesota Public Radio.