Press Release: Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management holds lottery for cannabis retailer business licenses

St. Paul, Minn. – At 3 p.m. today, the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) holds a lottery drawing for cannabis retailer licenses. Seventy-five applicants will be selected from a pool of 569 businesses that includes 288 general applicants and 281 social equity applicants (SEAs) who were not selected in the first lottery held on June 5. The number of available cannabis retailer business licenses is limited to 150 in state statute, with half reserved exclusively for social equity applicants.  

“With the selection of 75 retail applicants today, the office has completed the review of more than 3,500 applications submitted in 2024 and 2025,” said OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel. “The selected business will join the more than 2,000 approved applicants who are taking the necessary steps to launch their cannabis businesses. I am proud of the work our staff has done to reach this milestone and eager to see applicants move into action with their business plans.”  

Selected applicants must still complete final steps in the licensing process before they are granted a business license, including passing background checks, providing a signed labor peace agreement with a bona fide labor organization, securing a site location and approvals from local units of government, and submitting final business plans to OCM. 

Applicants and members of the public may watch a livestream of the retail license application lottery via the office’s YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@MNCannabisManagement. A list of selected application numbers will be posted to OCM’s website later today. OCM’s licensing division will communicate directly with selected applicants about their next steps.  

OCM is again partnering with Smartplay International, Inc., a recognized leader in digital lottery drawing systems, and Baker Tilly, an advisory tax and assurance firm, to conduct the lotteries. Both vendors have conducted cannabis license lotteries in other states.  

Additional upcoming licensing opportunities 

On August 1, OCM will open a new application window for cannabis event organizers and a second window for cannabis testing facilities, and the office is currently accepting registrations from businesses seeking to sell hemp-derived cannabinoid products (HDCPs) to consumers. Between October 1 and October 31, OCM will accept business license applications for three hemp license types: lower-potency hemp edible retailers, lower-potency hemp edible manufacturers, and lower-potency hemp edible wholesalers. 

Data showing the numbers of cannabis business license applications broken out by license type and current application status are available on OCM’s Summary Application Data webpage. An overview of OCM’s license lotteries, including the results of the June 5 lotteries, is available on OCM’s License Lotteries webpage.