Applications For Cannabis Business Licenses In Minnesota Will Open This Month

Applications For Cannabis Business Licenses In Minnesota Will Open This Month

The Office of Cannabis Management paused social equity applications after legal challenges and is now ready to move forward.

The tumultuous opening of the legal cannabis retail market in Minnesota appears to be heading towards a launch.

After legal challenges sidelined the lottery for social equity business licenses, the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) decided to move forward with all license applications to keep plans for the market launch on or close to schedule. It has now announced that it will begin accepting business license applications on Feb. 18.

Throughout the application cycle, which lasts until March 14, the OCM will review social equity applications as well as microbusiness, mezzobusiness, cultivator, manufacturer, retailer, wholesaler, transporter, testing facility, delivery service, and medical cannabis combination business applications.

The application cycle for event organizers will take place in the summer, while applications for lower-potency hemp edible manufacturers and retailers will be accepted in the fall.

"Prospective business owners are eager to get started, and applying for a license sets them on a path to launching their business," said OCM interim director Eric Taubel, who replaced Charlene Briner in the role in January. "Getting licenses out the door and into the hands of qualified applicants is our priority as we approach the launch of Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis industry."

The four license types with caps — cultivator, mezzobusiness, manufacturer, and retailer — will be distributed through a series of lottery drawings, with half of the licenses reserved for social equity applicants, a label that includes people who have been negatively impacted by marijuana prohibition, veterans, and individuals living in high-poverty regions.

The timing of the lottery has yet to be determined, with the final dates partially determined by the volume of applications received by the OCM. However, it expects the first licenses in those categories to be distributed in sometime in May or June.

Uncapped licenses — microbusiness, wholesaler, transporter, testing facility, delivery service, and medical cannabis combination business — will be reviewed on a rolling basis with applicants getting approval as soon as they're deemed to be qualified, per the OCM.

SOURCE: Bring Me The News