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March 13, 2025
In this issue:
News and Updates
Grant Opportunities
Resources and Reminders
News and updates
Business license application window open until March 14
Get your applications in! The license application window will close at 11:59 p.m. CDT Friday, March 14. OCM is currently accepting applications both from verified social equity applicants and from any applicant in the following license types: microbusiness, mezzobusiness, cultivator, manufacturer, retailer, wholesaler, transporter, testing facility, delivery service, and medical cannabis combination business.
Cities or counties wishing to operate a single municipal cannabis store should also apply for a retailer license during the application window. Municipal retailer licenses are not subject to a lottery. Applications for cannabis event organizer licenses will be accepted later this summer; applications for lower-potency hemp edible manufacturer licenses and lower-potency hemp edible retailer licenses will be accepted in the fall.
“Getting licenses into the hands of business owners is our priority and today marks another step towards opening Minnesota’s cannabis market,” said Eric Taubel, OCM interim director. “There is a great deal of interest from business owners who want to get started in this new space. We’re looking forward to working with applicants to take the crucial next steps in becoming licensed so they can make their businesses a reality.”
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 Caption: Unsure of what steps are involved in getting a cannabis business license? We want to help! The document above walks through the licensing process from start to finish. Select the image to download the PDF.
Local Governments: How to prepare for site registration, zoning compliance certifications, and local retail registrations
The application window for cannabis businesses is now open and the licensing process is advancing. What does this mean for local governments? Cities, counties, and townships play an important role in the licensing process. If you haven’t already, please fill out the Office of Cannabis Management’s Delegation and Contact Form. This form will help you prepare for two key roles a local government has in the licensing process: 1) zoning compliance certification, and 2) local retail registration for businesses conducting retail sales. Cannabis retailers are required to have both a license and a local retail registration. The form captures contact information regarding zoning authority and should be used to inform OCM of decisions to delegate local retail registration authority.
Any local government that has zoning authority over proposed cannabis businesses and is responsible for managing zoning compliance certifications for proposed cannabis businesses in their jurisdiction, must register for an account in Accela, OCM’s licensing system. You can use OCM’s Registering for Accela for Zoning Compliance Certification guide to see how this can be completed. By registering for an Accela account, the local unit of government is preparing for the required zoning compliance verification check during the state’s cannabis business application process.
For more information, please visit OCM’s Local Governments webpage.
The cannabis business license application window closes on March 14. The adult-use rules are still anticipated to be adopted near the end of Q1. The office intends to send final rules to the office of administrative hearings in the coming weeks. Once final adult-use rules are adopted, qualified applicants in uncapped license categories will be eligible to receive preliminary approval and begin the site registration process. This means an applicant for a cannabis microbusiness license may be seeking zoning compliance certification and local retail registration in the coming weeks and months after rules are adopted. Please review the guidance and resources linked above to prepare appropriately.
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CanRenew grant application window open until March 24
CanRenew is a new program to help fund projects addressing a range of community needs, including economic development, public health, violence prevention, youth development and civil legal aid. CanRenew Community Restoration Grants will be awarded to eligible organizations for investments in communities where long-term residents are eligible to be social equity applicants. These communities are recognized for facing significant challenges under previous cannabis prohibition policies, which negatively impacted their economic and social landscapes.
The $1 million CanRenew program, established by the Minnesota Legislature in the 2023 cannabis bill, invests in communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition, fostering development, safety, and stability. By funding projects focused on economic development, social determinants of health, violence prevention, and youth engagement, CanRenew supports organizations making a meaningful impact in community renewal. CanRenew grant funds are not intended to support cannabis business operations and cannot be used on revenue generating projects.
“This grant program is a significant step toward the OCM's aim to establish an inclusive and equitable cannabis ecosystem that creates possibilities for marginalized groups and those affected by the war on drugs,” said OCM interim director, Eric Taubel. “We are thrilled to start this program to assist individuals impacted by previous cannabis prohibitions, and to make sure that we are reinvesting into the communities that have been disproportionally harmed from discriminatory laws.”
Visit our CanRenew webpage to learn how to apply!
OCM has developed communications tools for our advocates and partners to help us promote messages about our social equity grants, including sample social media posts, sharable graphics, as well as flyers and posters about the program. Help us spread the word about CanRenew across your networks and encourage eligible organizations to apply. Visit our Grants Communications Toolkit webpage for more information.
 Select the image to access the PDF
CanNavigate and CanStartup grant applications open
This week, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced two new programs to support organizations that will assist businesses operating in the state’s adult-use cannabis industry. Up to $8 million of state funding is available for service providers to help business owners – specifically social equity business owners and entrepreneurs from disproportionately impacted communities.
DEED’s new initiatives will provide technical assistance and increase access to capital for business owners looking to start and grow cannabis businesses in Minnesota.
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CanNavigate (Cannabis Industry Navigation Grants) offers up to $2 million in competitively awarded grants to community-based entrepreneurial support organization (ESOs) and organizations with cannabis regulatory experts to help individuals navigate the regulatory structure of operating a business in the legal cannabis industry. There is an emphasis on serving individuals whose social equity status has been verified and people facing barriers to employment.
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CanStartup (Cannabis Industry Startup Financing Grants) will award up to $6 million in grants to nonprofit lenders to fund loans to new cannabis microbusinesses and support job creation in communities where long-term residents are eligible to be social equity applicants.
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CanTrain will launch later in March, offering grants to eligible organizations to develop and implement a workforce development program to provide support, navigation services and training to individuals leading to a relevant career in the legal cannabis industry.
DEED will host a webinar on CanStartup on March 13 from 10-11 a.m.; applications are due on April 9. The agency will also host a webinar on CanNavigate for interested applicants on March 18 from 1-2 p.m.; those applications are due on April 11. Learn more about both programs.
Legal Cannabis Dual Training grant application window open
On March 4, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education launched the request for proposal for the Legal Cannabis Dual Training grant. Dual training grant recipients can use the funds to help cover costs related to instruction toward attaining an industry-recognized degree, certificate or credential for their employees through a dual-training program. Learn more about this opportunity by visiting the Dual Training Grant: Legal Cannabis Industry website.
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Resources and reminders
Register your business now if you intend to sell hemp-derived cannabinoid products
After the adoption of rules, OCM’s portal for registering a business to sell hemp-derived cannabinoid products will close. Once rules are adopted, unregistered retailers will be required to immediately cease selling hemp-derived cannabinoid products. Registered businesses can continue operations until they receive a license this summer or fall. The sale of hemp-derived topical products containing cannabidiol (CBD) or cannabigerol (CBG) will be regulated under Minnesota Statutes, section 342.66, and will not require a license. The sale of any products not included under the lower-potency hemp edible (LPHE) definition or hemp-derived topical will require a cannabis business license. The cannabis business application window is currently open through March 14.
Any business registered with OCM may convert their registration by applying for a lower-potency hemp edible license this coming fall as long as their registration is in good standing with OCM and they apply during an open license application window. Registered businesses selling hemp-derived cannabinoid products may continue sales until they receive a cannabis license or LPHE licenses are issued, at which point only lower-potency hemp edibles will be allowed. The application window for LPHE licenses is anticipated to open six months after rules are adopted. LPHEs may also be sold by businesses holding a license for cannabis retailer business, cannabis microbusiness with retail endorsement, cannabis mezzobusiness with retail endorsement, or a medical cannabis combination business with a retail endorsement. OCM has created this reference chart to help explain the differences between the license types.
License conversion is not automatic; applicants must apply for and obtain an appropriate license. A business that does not obtain a lower-potency hemp edible license will no longer be legally allowed to sell or manufacture LPHEs under their registration. Further instructions about the conversion process with be posted to our General Licensing webpage.
Any business that wants to sell LPHEs, but is not registered before the registration portal closes, will have to wait to apply until a later lower-potency hemp edible license application window. If you are already registered, you do not need to register again; registration does not need to be renewed. Please check the online registration list to see if your business is already registered. The registration portal will be taken down upon adoption of rules and no new businesses will be eligible to register after that time. The office intends to send final rules to the office of administrative hearings in the coming weeks.
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Watch a recording of a CanRenew grant info session
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