MINNEAPOLIS— What’s called an “expedited comment period” opened Monday for recreational marijuana in Minnesota, but how close are we to actually opening cannabis businesses?
It’s been almost two years since legal cannabis passed the Minnesota Legislature with the original purpose of creating the recreational market active this month.
“I can’t imagine they’ll be able to issue permits before the end of the year,” said Sen. Mark Koran, R-North.
Koran, former co-chair of the Medicinal Cannabis Taskforce, said he believes the market won’t even be ready by the end of this year because of a judge’s ruling the cannabis lottery stopped after several lawsuits, Koran said.
“Now they have to complete the regulatory process that they are in, but they probably won’t complete that for the next four, five, six months,” Quran said.
Minnesota attorney Carol Moss, who specializes in cannabis law and is a member of Governor Tim Walz’s Cannabis Advisory Council, is more optimistic.
“We are on track to open dispensaries later this year,” Moss said.
While Moss acknowledges the obstacles, once the laws are in place, the path for small micro-businesses to obtain licenses is still smooth.
Large companies – the ones involved in the lawsuits – are likely to experience problems.
“Those microbusinesses could get seeds in the ground in a few months, and by the end of the year we could start to see retail stores,” Moss said.
Last month, the Office of Cannabis Management acknowledged the hurdles but said it could take just months for the first cannabis businesses to emerge.
“This will be a slower rollout,” Moss said. “I think this is a situation that could be very beneficial for our industry in the long run.”
