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July 31, 2024
August 1 marks the one-year anniversary of cannabis legalization in Minnesota. It also marks a year of ramping up a new state office as we work to launch the state’s cannabis market.
It’s hard to believe that in just a short time, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has grown from a staff of one to creating a cross-agency team of subject matter implementation experts to hiring more than 75 permanent employees and growing. The incredible work ethic of this dedicated team has resulted in a series of concrete milestones that were only concepts last summer, culminating last week with the opening of the first round of license applications for social equity applicants. Among the most notable:
- Established a cross-agency implementation team that developed budgets, designed business software systems, wrote regulations, and created new job descriptions
- Launched the rulemaking process in October with a series of topical input surveys
- Secured a core leadership team (chief of staff, chief regulatory officer, general counsel, government relations, Tribal liaison, and outreach and engagement)
- Introduced the first agency bill at the legislature to strengthen and support a successful, equitable market launch
- Moved into a new office space (still under construction as I write this)
- Opened our Division of Social Equity and onboarded its inaugural director
- Welcomed the Office of Medical Cannabis and the hemp-derived cannabinoid enforcement team to OCM on July 1
- Opened for SEA verification on June 24, followed by opening for license applications on July 24
Today, OCM will post on our website (see below for more details) the first iteration of our draft rules, giving business operators their first look at the regulations they will be required to follow to ensure the safety of adult-use, hemp-derived, and medical cannabis products grown, produced, and sold. It’s another milestone among many achieved and more to come in our work to ensure a safe, equitable, and sustainable cannabis industry that will benefit Minnesotans across the state. There’s much more to come in the months ahead, so stay tuned!
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News & Updates
OCM opens applications for cannabis business social equity license preapproval
Prospective cannabis business owners who have been verified as social equity applicants can submit an application for cannabis business license preapproval through OCM's website.
Information and technical resource materials needed to complete an application are available on OCM’s website. OCM requires that applicants use the worksheets that are posted online to submit their information.
The application window for social equity business license preapproval is open from July 24 through Aug. 12, a timeline defined in state statute.
For more details, visit:
Provide feedback on OCM draft rules
OCM encourages people to submit feedback on the draft rules by using this form. The feedback window will be open from now through Aug. 30.
This is not the official rules package, but rather a first draft in advance of the public comment period expected later this year. The first draft is based on substantial input OCM has received through surveys, meetings, and conversations that took place since last fall as well as OCM’s review of Minnesota’s cannabis statute and cannabis rules in other states.
While these draft rules may be informative for potential operators and consumers, they may change as OCM goes through the formal rulemaking process.
Later this year, OCM will publish in the State Register a notice of intent to adopt rules, which will prompt a 30-day formal comment period. Watch the OCM website for updates.
Office of Medical Cannabis moves to OCM
Effective July 1, the Office of Medical Cannabis moved from the Minnesota Department of Health to OCM. This transition, approved by the Minnesota Legislature this past session, was previously scheduled for March 1, 2025.
This change means that Minnesota’s medical cannabis program, the regulation and enforcement of hemp-derived cannabinoid products, and all related staff are now operating under OCM. Go to OCM’s website for more information.
Next Cannabis Advisory Council meeting set for Aug. 22
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 Merone Melekin, OCM outreach director, addressed members of the Cannabis Advisory Council at the council's quarterly meeting held on June 20.
The next quarterly meeting of the Cannabis Advisory Council is set for 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Aug. 22. The meeting will be held in the Stassen Building Room 2000 (Skjegstad Conference Room), 600 N. Robert St., St. Paul.
The meeting agenda will be posted on the Cannabis Advisory Council webpage.
Welcome to OCM
As Interim Director Charlene Briner noted in her message above, OCM continues to hire staff (at last count, OCM has 75 permanent employees). As the number of staff continues to grow, OCM will explore new ways to introduce staff in this newsletter and will introduce supervisors and managers in this space. Please welcome:
Rebecca Bighley, customer service supervisor
Before joining OCM, Rebecca was training lead for the Minnesota Department of Revenue. Prior to that, Rebecca was office and administrative specialist for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jamie Dressler, licensing director
Jamie joined OCM from Health Canada in Toronto, where he was team lead of market analysis in Health Canada's Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch. In a previous role at Health Canada, he led a team of employees on the development, maintenance, and analysis of the Canadian Cannabis Tracking System.
Kristen Jacka, licensing supervisor
Before joining OCM, Kristen was director of compliance at Optum, a UnitedHealth Group company. At Optum, Kirsten oversaw all aspects of regulatory licensing for 40 plus legal entities and 900 plus licenses. She has extensive knowledge in regulatory licensing gained during an 18-year career with Optum.
Ilizah Zuelsdorff, medical cannabis director
Ilizah came to OCM from Healthfirst Network, Inc., where she served as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) director for four counties in Wisconsin. As part of that role, Ilizah served on the leadership team and actively participated in the strategic planning process and organizational development centered on quality, access, and equity.
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