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CHRONICLING LEGAL CANNABIS IN MINNESOTA

By Matt DeLong

In this week’s Nuggets: Another tribe opens a pot store in northern Minnesota; cities, businesses and GOP lawmakers sound alarm on pending tribal compacts; would-be cannabis business owners in Minnesota ask for refunds and head for the hills; a tale of two neighboring planned cultivation facilities on the Iron Range; Minnesota to accept proposals for cannabis job training grants; and we answer reader questions about Minnesota’s medical cannabis program.

Another tribe opens a pot store in northern Minnesota: The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa is the latest Minnesota tribe to enter the legal marijuana business. The tribe’s Ishkode (which means “fire” in Ojibwe) cannabis dispensary celebrates its grand opening today starting at 10 a.m. Ishkode is located at 1420 Bois Forte Road, next to the Fortune Bay Resort Casino near the shore of Lake Vermilion in Tower, about 90 miles north of Duluth. The dispensary will carry flower and prerolls from White Earth Nation’s Waabigwan Mashkiki and Prairie Island Indian Community’s Grasslandz brand, as well as vape cartridges (but no edibles or beverages currently). The store only accepts cash, with an ATM on-site. After Friday, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. More info on Ishkode’s Facebook page.

Cities, businesses and GOP lawmakers sound alarm on pending Minnesota cannabis compacts with tribes: “People interested in the recreational cannabis market who are not Gov. Tim Walz or leaders of the state’s tribal nations have been asking when, where and how they can present their views on imminent state-tribal cannabis compacts. The answer is, they can’t. The pending compacts that are now expected to allow the state’s tribal nations to enter the legal cannabis business outside of their reservations will not be made public until they are signed by Walz and the tribes. Once signed, they would be the first state-tribal cannabis compacts in the U.S. to allow tribal enterprises to operate outside of reservation lands, and they can’t be amended without mutual agreement," Peter Callaghan reports for MinnPost. Read more.

Would-be cannabis business owners in Minnesota ask for refunds and head for the hills: “The frustrating delays with Minnesota’s new cannabis industry have resulted in hundreds of would-be entrepreneurs getting out of the business before it even gets off the ground. New data obtained by 5 INVESTIGATES shows that more than 400 people requested refunds of their application fees from the state after it called off the pre-approval license lottery late last year. Those refunded fees totaled more than $1.5 million,” Ryan Raiche reports for KSTP. Read more.

A tale of two neighboring planned cultivation facilities on the Iron Range: “Two businesses, one in Grand Rapids and one in Cohasset, are planning cannabis grow operations less than 2 miles apart. Both see Minnesota’s emerging cannabis industry as an opportunity. For one, it’s a great investment in an industry in which the investors have experience. For the other, it’s a longtime dream becoming reality in the owners’ local community,” Megan Buffington reports for KAXE. Read more. 

Minnesota to accept proposals for cannabis job training grants: The Minnesota Office of Higher Education and Department of Labor and Industry will accept proposals starting March 4 from cannabis employers for grants of up to $150,000 to help cover costs of instruction for employees seeking industry-recognized degrees, certificates or credentials through a qualifying dual-training program. The window to submit proposals closes April 15 at 4 p.m. The Office of Higher Education will also host a series of grant-writing workshops, including: March 10 in St. Paul, March 12 in Bemidji, as well as two virtual workshops on March 14. More information about the cannabis dual-training grant program can be found here. 

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Feb. 28-March 1 (Fri.-Sat.): Lucky Leaf Expo Minneapolis - "Conference attendees will be able to explore over 100 exhibitors [and] hear from a variety of speakers." Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 S. 2nd Av., Minneapolis. Tickets and more info. 

Feb. 28 (Fri.): Lucky Leaf After Party - "Come party with us at the official After Party of the Minneapolis Lucky Leaf Expo 2025." Presented by Canna Connect MN. 5-11 p.m. Modist Brewing, 505 N. 3rd St., Minneapolis. Tickets and more info.

March 1 (Sat.): Home Growing the Easy Way - "Learn about seeds, soil and get started growing." Free. 2-4 p.m. CannaJoyMN, 4753 S. Chicago Av., Minneapolis. More info.

March 4 (Tue.): The Green Rush - Navigating the Cannabis Industry in Minnesota - "This webinar brings together leading advisors to the industry to help industry participants, investors, and business leaders understand what to expect in Minnesota's Green Rush." Noon-1 p.m. Register here.

Talk to us! We want to hear what you think about Nuggets. Send feedback, questions, events, story tips or new feature ideas to nuggets@startribune.com.

Thanks to Scott in Lakeville for sharing this Candyland flower. The plant is growing in a 7-gallon pot with Buildasoil Dominion living soil and Minnesota Cowboy Cannabis Co. amendments. 

Homegrowers, show off your plants! Share your best photo with us by clicking the button below and we'll publish one each week in Nuggets. By submitting a photo you affirm that you own the rights to it and you are granting permission to the Star Tribune to publish it on its platforms.

Answers to questions from readers

Q: Will there be more medical cannabis dispensaries? They seem to be few and far between.

Minnesota currently has just two companies registered to manufacture and sell medical cannabis: LeafLine Labs, which is owned by Chicago-based parent company Green Thumb Industries and operates eight RISE medical cannabis dispensaries across the state; and Minneapolis-based Vireo Health, which operates eight Green Goods dispensaries in Minnesota.

As the Office of Cannabis Management proceeds with licensing cannabis businesses in Minnesota, it is likely that the number of medical cannabis providers will increase. The OCM is offering a medical cannabis combination business license, which are uncapped in number.

The license will allow the holder to operate one dispensary per congressional district (up to eight statewide), cultivate up to 60,000 square feet of plant canopy of medical cannabis and 30,000 square feet of canopy for adult use. They could also manufacture medical and adult-use cannabis products as well as lower-potency hemp edible and other hemp-derived products. The dispensaries will be required to serve the medical cannabis market, but retail sales for adult use will be optional. 

Q: Why does medical cannabis cost so much?

Nuggets reached out to Colin Planalp, a senior research fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Cannabis Research Center, for his take on why medical cannabis is relatively expensive in Minnesota. He pointed to two key factors: the size of the market and regulatory costs related to ensuring the supply of medical cannabis is reliable and safe for patients with serious medical conditions to consume.

“The economics are such that the per-unit cost of products – including cannabis – tend to be higher at lower volume, and the per-unit cost declines as production volumes increase,” Planalp wrote in an email, noting that Minnesota’s medical cannabis program is small compared with those in some other states. The OCM reported about 50,000 people were enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program in 2024. “Because cannabis remains a Schedule I Controlled Substance by the federal government, it cannot be legally imported from other states that might have lower production costs.”

Medical cannabis companies are also required to have their products tested for potency, cannabinoid profile and for a wide range of potential hazardous contaminants, such as mold and pesticides, Planalp said. They are also subjected to packaging and labeling requirements and they must maintain sanitary facilities for growing and manufacturing products. Those operating in the black market are often able to sell products at lower prices because they typically do not shoulder any of these additional costs. 

Q: I currently have a medical cannabis card. I read an article that said my enrollment in the medical cannabis registry would be active for a total of three years, instead of having to reapply every year. I received an email saying my cannabis card expired and needs to be renewed. What’s going on?

A quick point of clarification: Despite the popular terminology, individuals enrolled in Minnesota’s medical cannabis registry don’t actually receive a card. Instead, they receive a number associated with their account, which functions as a medical card would in programs in other states.

The automatic enrollment extension was enacted in September 2024, but not everyone in the program was eligible.

“Essentially, all individuals who were in pending status were extended, but it didn’t apply to everyone across the board,” OCM spokesman Josh Collins said in an email. “Without knowing the specifics of their situation, my guess is that this patient didn't meet the criteria to be eligible for the automatic enrollment extension and needs to be re-certified and re-apply.” 

There is an FAQ on the OCM website that addresses the enrollment extension. Collins recommended that anyone with additional questions about their status reach out to the Division of Medical Cannabis for help.