“We’re at a point where critical work streams have come together, allowing state-licensed retailers to begin selling adult-use cannabis products to customers,” said OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel. “We’ve seen immediate interest from state-licensed businesses to work with Tribal Nations to carry Tribally grown products on their shelves as they open their doors to eager customers.” 

Tribal-state compacts create supply chain opportunities 

Several Tribal Nations sharing territory with Minnesota began opening adult-use and medical cannabis dispensaries on Tribally owned land beginning in August 2023, following passage of the original cannabis bill. In May 2025, the first Tribal-state cannabis compact with White Earth Nation established a framework for the Tribe to open adult-use dispensaries in Moorhead and St. Cloud.  

Since June 18, the state has issued 37 business licenses, including 23 licenses to microbusinesses with plans to conduct retail cannabis sales. Those businesses have been waiting for cultivators, manufacturers and testing facilities to establish a supply of products to sell to customers. With Tribal-state cannabis compacts now in place with the White Earth Nation and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, state-licensed retail businesses are working in partnership with Tribal Nations to procure safe, tested cannabis products at wholesale in order to stock their shelves.  

The first sales of Tribally grown cannabis flower from a state-licensed business will take place at 4:20 p.m. today at Legacy Cannabis—a licensed microbusiness in Duluth—who is partnering with the White Earth Nation.  

Medical cannabis dispensaries expanding to include adult-use products 

Minnesotans living near 13 of the 16 existing medical cannabis dispensaries in Minnesota now have access to adult-use products. Yesterday, OCM issued medical cannabis combination business licenses to the two existing medical cannabis providers—Green Goods and RISE—who are expanding their offerings to include both medical cannabis and adult-use cannabis products. All eight of Green Goods’ dispensaries (located in Minneapolis, Blaine, Bloomington, Burnsville, Duluth, Moorhead, Rochester, and Woodbury) opened adult-use sales this morning. RISE will begin adult-use sales on Wednesday at dispensaries in Brooklyn Park, Eagan, Mankato, New Hope and Willmar, and their three other sites will follow soon.   

The medical cannabis combination license also allows the medical companies to wholesale product into the state-licensed market, opening more options for partnership with state license holders to sell both adult-use and medical cannabis products.  

Importantly, state statute also requires medical cannabis providers to serve patients in the medical cannabis program with continuous, uninterrupted access to medicine. More than 59,000 Minnesotans participate in the state’s medical cannabis program, equivalent to approximately 1% of residents of the state.   

“As the medical cannabis dispensaries transition to serving both medical patients and adult-use customers, we will closely monitor product levels to ensure they comply with this requirement,” said Taubel. 

Newly licensed testing facilities establish critical safeguards for cannabis products 

On September 10, OCM issued the first license to a testing facility, ChRi Laboratories in St. Paul, establishing a pathway for new cannabis products to be tested for contaminants like pesticides, microbes, heavy metals, toxins, and residual solvents. The state’s standards for sampling and testing cannabis products will help to ensure consistency with labeling and aid in determining appropriate consumption for individual use. Additional testing facilities are expected to receive licenses soon, which will create additional lab capacity for testing as businesses expand the products available to customers.  

First licensed cannabis event organizer license issued   

OCM also announced that it has issued its first cannabis event organizer license in the state to Legacy Cup. Legacy Cup has been an annual Minnesota tradition of music, culture and art since 2019. It is scheduled to take place in Minneapolis on September 26-27.  

The application window for cannabis event organizers opened August 1, 2025, and is open-ended with applications accepted on a rolling basis. The cannabis event organizer license authorizes the holder to plan and host temporary cannabis-related events in Minnesota that feature on-site sale and use of adult-use cannabis products, lower-potency hemp edibles, and hemp-derived consumer products.  

“These milestones reflect the diligent work of many people committed to growing an equitable and sustainable cannabis market in Minnesota,” said Taubel. “I look forward to seeing the market mature over the next few years as we continue to prioritize public health and safety, consumer confidence, and market integrity. 

For more information, visit mn.gov/ocm.