![](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-27.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Minnesota officials have issued the state\u2019s first recreational marijuana business license following the enactment of legalization in 2023.<\/p>\n
The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced on Wednesday that it has issued the license to Herb Quest, LLC, a cultivation microbusiness.<\/p>\n
\u201cIssuing the first business license is a major milestone for the office,\u201d OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel said in a press release.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith our first licensed cultivator now able to begin growing plants, and more than 600 businesses within the final steps of completing their applications and securing approvals from local governments, we are now seeing the first pieces of Minnesota\u2019s adult-use market fall into place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Additionally, OCM said it\u2019s taking further steps to build up in the industry and create opportunities to entrepreneurs, including opening a new licensing window for cannabis testing facilities, accepting the first applications for marijuana event licenses and verifying more social equity status requests.<\/p>\n
For cannabis testing facilities, licensing applications will open on August 1. To prevent delays, lawmakers enacted a policy change to the process that also allows such licenses to be issued as applicants are awaiting accreditation from the International Standards Organization (ISO).<\/p>\n
\u201cISO accreditation is a lengthy process, so we wanted to provide a shorter runway for labs who wish to enter Minnesota\u2019s cannabis market in such an essential way while also helping other cannabis business owners get up and running with safe, tested products,\u201d Max Zappia, OCM\u2019s chief regulatory officer, said<\/a>. \u201cHaving testing facilities with capacity is essential to our mission to establish an equitable cannabis industry that prioritizes public health and safety, consumer confidence, and market integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n Applications for cannabis event organizer licenses will also start being accepted on August 1.<\/p>\n \u201cPursuant to Minnesota law, cannabis events must be limited to ages 21 and older and may not include the sale or consumption of alcohol,\u201d regulators said. \u201cCannabis events may feature the on-site sale and use of adult-use cannabis products, lower-potency hemp edibles, and hemp-derived consumer products.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike other license types, the event organizer license is temporary and people will need to apply for new ones per event.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, shortly after Minnesota lawmakers passed a bill to end the criminalization of bong water containing trace amount of drugs<\/a>, Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) has signed the measure into law late last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n The change addresses an existing policy that had allowed law enforcement to treat quantities of bong water greater than four ounces as equivalent to the pure, uncut version of whatever drug the device was used to consume.<\/p>\n Also in Minnesota, a Native American tribe last month opened the state\u2019s first-ever legal recreational marijuana store outside of a reservation<\/a>. The new shop, in Moorhead, will be followed next month by another location in St. Cloud that will also be operated by the White Earth Nation.<\/p>\n The launch of the new shop comes after Walz\u00a0signed of a landmark agreement last month to allow the tribe to operate up to eight retail marijuana stores<\/a>\u00a0across the state.<\/p>\n Minnesota\u2019s 2023 cannabis legalization law allows\u00a0tribes within the state to open marijuana businesses<\/a>\u00a0before state licensing of businesses begins. Following the law\u2019s enactment, a number of tribal governments, including\u00a0White Earth Nation<\/a>, the\u00a0Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians<\/a>\u00a0and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, made early moves to enter the market.<\/p>\n Separately, as the state\u2019s adult-use cannabis market gets up and running, more than a dozen cities and counties are seeking to open their own government-run stores.<\/p>\n At least 13 cities and counties have applied for licenses to operate their own marijuana stores. The city of Anoka, for one, broke ground last month on a new $2.7 million facility, though the city\u2019s liquor and cannabis operations manager says they\u2019re still waiting on final approval from OCM.<\/p>\n Other municipalities seeking licenses to run their own dispensaries include St. Joseph and Osseo, which are reportedly waiting to secure licenses before breaking ground on the facilities.<\/p>\n \u2014 By law, Minnesota allows local governments to limit the number of retailers in their jurisdictions, though it requires leaders to allow at least one marijuana store for every 12,500 residents.<\/p>\n Separately in Minnesota, a state appeals court is\u00a0set to decide whether state officials have the authority to prosecute tribal members for cannabis crimes committed on tribal land<\/a>. The case centers on a White Earth citizen who allegedly sold cannabis from his tobacco store on reservation land in Mahnomen.<\/p>\n In April, meanwhile, state officials moved to delay a separate drug reform\u2014the opening of safe drug consumption sites<\/a>, meant to allow people to use drugs in a safer, supervised setting.<\/p>\n \u201cMore work needs to be done on a state and federal level before these services can be implemented in a way that is safe for participants and Harm Reduction programs,\u201d a representative for the Department of Human Services (DHS) Behavioral Health Administration said at the time.<\/p>\n In March, lawmakers also filed legislation that would\u00a0create a system to allow legal access to psilocybin for medical purposes<\/a>. That came just days after the introduction of a separate bill that would\u00a0legalize personal psilocybin use and possession among adults<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alaska Activists Launch Campaign To Put Psychedelics Legalization Measure On 2026 Ballot<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Minnesota Officials Award State\u2019s First Marijuana Business License<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Minnesota officials have issued the state\u2019s first recreational marijuana business license following the enactment of legalization in 2023. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced on Wednesday that it has issued the license to Herb Quest, LLC, a cultivation microbusiness. \u201cIssuing the first business license is a major milestone forContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":81741,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81740"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81742,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81740\/revisions\/81742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-26.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\nRead More: Minnesota Officials Award State\u2019s First Marijuana Business License<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"