Since the start of the new year, marijuana agency heads in both Delaware and Minnesota have stepped down. Even so, both states remain on track to launch licensed recreational marijuana sales in the coming months.
Currently, 21 states have active recreational marijuana markets, with Delaware and Minnesota set to join that list later this year. Of the 24 legal marijuana states, only Virginia does not allow licensed sales.
In Delaware, the state’s first-ever marijuana commissioner, Robert M. Coupe, recently stepped down to join the private sector as Chief of Staff at CRx Construction. The move comes just as the state’s legal marijuana market is about to launch, and comes just two weeks after the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC) conducted a public license lottery to select applicants in the Open Retail category for Delaware’s regulated marijuana industry.
According to the OMC, the lottery marked “a significant milestone in fostering a fair and transparent licensing process, ensuring equal opportunities for businesses to participate in the state’s growing marijuana sector”. In total, OMC issued 15 licenses during the lottery. Initial licenses for cultivation, manufacturing, and testing were issued in October.
Despite Coupe stepping down, it’s expected that OMC will quickly select a replacement. His departure “is not expected to cause any delays” in the state’s recreational marijuana market, says the OMC, which remains on track to launch by summer.
In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced yesterday that Charlene Briner will step down “after building the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) from the ground up”. Briner’s departure, as with Coupe’s, comes just as the market is planning its launch. Walz appointed OCM General Counsel Eric Taubel to serve as interim director.
As with Delaware, this departure —although it caught many off-guard— is not expected to cause any delays in the implement ion of the state’s legal marijuana market. However, last month the OCM cancelled its planned lottery for early marijuana business licenses intended to go to social equity recipients, following legal challenges. This is expected to cause a slight delay in when the state’s first recreational marijuana stores will open, but the OCM says it “sees no scenario in which adult-use marijuana market doesn’t launch in 2025”. If all goes well, sales could launch by summer.
Although Briner’s departure caught stakeholders off guard, it is not expected to cause significant delays in the market’s implementation. However, last month, the OCM canceled its planned lottery for early marijuana business licenses intended for social equity recipients following legal challenges. This is likely to delay the opening of the state’s first recreational marijuana stores, but the OCM has stated it “sees no scenario in which the adult-use marijuana market doesn’t launch in 2025.” If all proceeds as planned, sales could begin by summer.
Once Delaware and Minnesota’s markets are operational, those 21 and older in nearly half of U.S. states will be able to purchase marijuana legally for personal use.
