Minnesota cannabis regulators are pushing a plan for the initial rollout of the state's legal marijuana market to Spring of next year, following a judge's decision to halt a planned lottery last month to choose the first business license holders.
Because of that legal fight, the Office of Cannabis Management —the regulatory agency tasked with oversight of the budding industry—on Wednesday said they are ditching the license "preapproval" process that would've fast-tracked some businesses so they could get a head start to be ready for market launch.
Now the focus shifts to a general licensing period that will begin early next year. Charlene Briner, the interim cannabis chief, told reporters that after the agency reviewed its options, proceeding this way is the best path forward to ensure there are no other delays to market launch.
"The decision to end the license pre-approval process and move forward with standard licensing shortly after the new year has two primary benefits. It preserves, at least in part, some of the early mover advantages for social equity applicants that were envisioned by the legislature in that pre approval process. And secondly, it also keeps us moving forward towards a timely market launch in 2025," Briner said.
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