It isn't the timing that people hoping to get started in the recreational cannabis business were hoping for.
Some 1,800 potential licensees who have qualified as social equity applicants are awaiting a special lottery to decide which of them will get a head-start on creating cannabis stores, manufacturing, testing facilities, and growing operations. But the interim director of the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) said late last week that the lottery will come later rather than sooner.
"We are still in the process of reviewing the 1818 applications that we received," said Charlene Briner. "I am confident that we will hold a lottery before the end of 2024."
While vague, the end of the year is not in line with predictions when the Legislature made significant changes to the legalization law in May. At that point, fall was the target for a lottery—after OCM had conducted the complex process of taking applications from social-equity license hopefuls. The process also required checking whether they were eligible for the advantages allotted to those who suffered most from cannabis prohibition.
Read more at Marijuana Moment.