Minnesota will take a pivotal step toward opening its recreational marijuana market in June, when the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) holds its first lotteries for business licenses.
The OCM announced Monday it will hold lotteries for three capped license types — cultivator, manufacturer and mezzobusiness — on June 5. It also will hold a retailer license lottery the same day for social equity applicants, which include veterans, residents of high-poverty areas and people who’ve been harmed by cannabis prohibition.
A retailer license lottery for general applicants will be held in the summer, according to the OCM.
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Eric Taubel, the OCM’s interim director, said the office is prioritizing license types based on their role in the supply chain.
“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,” Taubel said in a statement Monday.
State-licensed cultivators must grow cannabis before it can be processed, packaged and sold. It will likely take several months for these businesses to grow, test and package a robust supply of marijuana.
Aspiring cultivators will have a good shot at getting a license, with 95 applicants seeking 50 available licenses, according to data provided by the OCM.
