REGIONAL- Minnesota is taking its next big step toward launching a legal cannabis industry, with license lotteries set for June 5 for key business roles in the emerging market.
The state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced on Monday that lotteries will be held for both social equity and general applicants seeking licenses to operate as cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, or mezzobusinesses. The lotteries for the two groups of applicants will be held separately.
General applicants for retail licenses, along with any social equity applicants not selected in the first round, will have a shot in a second lottery to be scheduled later this summer.
“The office has prioritized the review of applications for the license types necessary to successfully stage the market,” said OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel. “Today’s announcement reflects the office’s goal to license the supply chain from the starting points in order to foster an equitable cannabis market that prioritizes public health and safety, consumer confidence, and market integrity.”
The June 5 lotteries mark a major milestone in the state’s slow-but-steady rollout of adult-use cannabis, a market officials say will take several years to fully develop.
Before any name makes it into the hopper, applications go through a rigorous review process to ensure they meet legal and operational standards.
Still ahead are reviews for wholesaler, transporter, and delivery service licenses, all part of the downstream market. Applications for cannabis event organizers and lower-potency hemp edible makers and sellers will be considered later this year.
“In the coming weeks, more and more applicants will be notified that they are advancing to the application lotteries. They will soon join the hundreds of qualified social equity applicants who are already deep in the process of completing application requirements,” said Jess Jackson, OCM’s director of social equity.
The June 5 lotteries will be livestreamed on OCM’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/@MNCannabisManagement, and results will be posted on the agency’s website afterward.
More information is available at mn.gov/ocm.