Press Conference: MN Office of Cannabis Management Announces Next Steps for Cannabis Licensing Process (Dec 11, 2024)

Today, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced its next actions to launch Minnesota’s cannabis industry following a Ramsey County District Court judge’s decision to stay the cannabis license preapproval lottery originally scheduled for Nov. 26. 

To avoid further delay and risks to social equity, OCM is ending the license preapproval process and moving forward with opening a standard licensing cycle for both social equity and general applicants beginning early next year. This step allows the office to prevent delays to the market launch due to ongoing litigation and retain some benefit to social equity by allowing applicants for license preapprovals to move into this new round. 

The 2024 law that established the license preapproval process emphasized rigorous review and operational readiness to ensure that social equity applicants were market-ready. The delays related to the court’s order to pause the lottery eliminate any early-mover advantages offered by the expedited license preapproval process envisioned by the Legislature. Therefore, the lawsuits brought by some unsuccessful applicants necessitate moving directly to the licensing cycle for both social equity and general applicants. 

“We remain committed to launching an equitable, sustainable, and responsible cannabis marketplace in Minnesota,” said OCM Interim Director Charlene Briner. “Our path forward ensures we remain on track to launch Minnesota’s new cannabis market and also preserves some of the social equity benefits that were at the heart of the preapproval process and that are foundational to the law as it was originally conceived.” 

Thank you to Fox News for recording this Press Conference after our request was denied by OCM.

Original Source Video: https://www.fox9.com/video/1560719