Hundreds of applicants seeking cannabis business licenses in Minnesota will learn their fate on Tuesday as the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) conducts a lottery to award preapprovals.
(Photo credit: Vicente LLP).
This initiative, part of a social equity program, is designed to support individuals disproportionately impacted by past marijuana prohibition, veterans, and residents of high-poverty areas.
In 2023, Minnesota lawmakers legalized marijuana for adults 21 and older, creating a regulated system for retail outlets supplied by licensed growers and processors. Possession and cultivation became legal in August 2023, with over 3,000 business licenses already preapproved. Additionally, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health launched the state’s first Cannabis Research Center in August, funded by a $2.5 million state appropriation.
The lottery, scheduled for 11 a.m. and streamed live on the OCM’s YouTube channel, will select 182 recipients from a pool of 648 qualified social equity applicants. An additional 18 preapprovals will be granted outside the lottery process. These preapprovals represent a significant step toward obtaining a license in Minnesota’s emerging adult-use marijuana market.
The announcement follows a dramatic reduction in the applicant pool, with 1,169 individuals receiving rejection notices earlier in the week. Some applicants expressed frustration, attributing disqualifications to minor clerical errors.
A second lottery is planned for early 2025, offering another chance for social equity applicants as well as general licenses for other contenders, according to an OCM spokesperson. This ongoing effort highlights Minnesota’s commitment to fostering equity and advancing research in its growing cannabis industry.
