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CHRONICLING LEGAL CANNABIS IN MINNESOTA

By Matt DeLong

In this week’s Nuggets: Minnesota cities hash out new rules for legal marijuana shops; Wisconsin's cannabis industry is growing fast with little regulation; the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) requests more information from some social equity applicants; the culture at the OCM led to several staff members quitting, ex-employee says; medical cannabis company Vireo Growth names new CEO; and the OCM launches another newsletter.

Minnesota cities hash out new rules for legal marijuana shops: Recreational cannabis sales are coming to Minnesota, and cities have some big decisions to make. Where can the shops go? Can they be next to schools? Should the cities get in the game? In larger, denser cities, such as Minneapolis, public discussions have focused on how to create a limited number of buffer zones around places where children spend time, without running afoul of the requirements to allow a minimum number of stores, Liz Navratil reports. In smaller cities, officials have also debated how to best regulate a new industry with limited staff. People in the cannabis industry are closely watching to see what patchwork of regulations emerges and what that might mean for their business plans. The Minneapolis City Council's business, housing and zoning committee will hold a hearing about the city’s cannabis amendment on Tuesday. Read more.

Wisconsin's cannabis industry is growing fast with little regulation: When it comes to cannabis, Wisconsin operates in the same gray area Minnesota once did, Caleb Fravel reports. Wisconsin has not legalized recreational pot, as Minnesota did in August 2023, but many of its stores openly sell cannabis products Minnesota regulations don’t allow yet. Read more.

OCM requests more information from some social equity applicants: The Office of Cannabis Management on Wednesday sent deficiency notices or requests for more information to about 300 applicants seeking preapproval for a limited number of social equity cannabis licenses, OCM spokesman Josh Collins said. Applicants who received a deficiency notice have five days to provide information that was missing from their applications. Those who receive requests for more information have 14 days to provide more details so the agency can complete its review. Collins stressed that receiving or not receiving one of these notices does not have any bearing on the ultimate outcome of an application. A preapproval lottery is expected to be held by the end of the year, allowing successful applicants to proceed with the work of setting up their businesses ahead of the launch of retail sales, expected next year. More info for social equity applicants can be found here.

Culture at OCM led to several staff members quitting, ex-employee says: Ryan Raiche reports that a former Office of Cannabis Management employee said “more than half her team quit during a pivotal time this summer at the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), forcing medical marijuana patients to wait weeks for their medication.” The employee, Kim Kraai, said things went downhill for the team after the Office of Medical Cannabis moved from the state Department of Health to the OCM over the summer. According to Kraai, “management refused to honor the team’s previous remote-work schedule, and was not interested in feedback or collaboration.” Acting OCM Director Charlene Briner responded to the story during an interview Wednesday with WCCO Radio’s Vineeta Sawkar in which she noted the agency now has nearly 100 employees, including permanent staff and temporary workers helping to review social equity applications. “We’ve lost a handful of people [during the transition of Office of Medical Cannabis staff] but nearly 30 of those folks stuck with us,” Briner said. Read more. 

Medical cannabis company Vireo Growth names new CEO: Vireo Growth, one of two licensed medical companies currently operating in Minnesota (as well as Maryland and New York), announced last week that its current CEO, board chair and acting CFO Josh Rosen is stepping down. Amber Shimpa, who has served in various leadership roles in the company since 2014, according to a news release, will replace Rosen as CEO. (H/T Blunt Strategies' Pre-Roll newsletter.)

OCM launches another newsletter: In addition to it’s monthly newsletter providing updates on the agency’s activities, the OCM has debuted a second newsletter focused on compliance that is expected to come out every other month. The first edition of the Cannabis Compliance Connector highlights the OCM’s efforts to crack down on illegal cannabis sales. You can subscribe using the form at the end of the newsletter. 

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Oct. 18-19 (Fri.-Sat.): Fright at the Farm & Haunted Cannabis Maze - "Join us for a haunted indoor & outdoor experience you will not forget." Event continues on Halloween and Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 2. Presented by Rochester Horror. 7-11 p.m. Willow's Keep Farm, 47385 Hwy. 52 Blvd., Zumbrota. Tickets and more info. 

Oct. 19 (Sat.): Cannabis Croptoberfest Cultivation Class - "Designed for beginners as well as experienced growers, this class will have a hands-on grow tent demonstration as well as general cultivation and care techniques for your winter garden. You’ll leave with everything you need to get growing — including premium seeds bred in Minnesota!" Preregistration is required. 1-3 p.m. Heidi's GrowHaus, 7555 County Road 116, Corcoran. More info. 

Oct. 22 (Tue.): Green Equity: A Cannabis Leadership Forum - "This event is designed to facilitate leadership development and cohesiveness, among Minnesotan leaders newer to the regulated industry as well as national leaders who have been pushing for equity for years." Hosted by the Minority Cannabis Business Association. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Potshotz, 1553 W. University Av., St. Paul. Tickets and more info.

Oct. 25-27 (Fri.-Sun.): Haunted Hayride HarvestFest - "This 21+ event is packed with fall fun and Halloween thrills!" Featuring a haunted hayride, costume contest, pumpkin carving contest and a homegrown cannabis cup. 28184 Swanson Road, Willow River. Tickets and more info.

Find more cannabis-related events at mnweedevents.com.

Got questions about cannabis? 

Send them to us and we'll do our best to answer as many as we can in future newsletters.