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Dozens of Cannabis Businesses Get Green Light to Open Following Minnesota Lottery
By Caroline CummingsJune 5, 2025 / 7:42 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota
"Dozens of lucky cannabis industry hopefuls got a big boost Thursday to open their business, two years after Minnesota legalized marijuana for recreational use.
The Office of Cannabis Management held a lottery for some of the license types with limited quantities under state law, including for retailers and cultivators. Applicants were pre-screened to join the lottery by the new state agency tasked with oversight of the new industry, and 249 were selected.
Three times as many were eligible for the drawing. Eric Taubel, interim director of OCM, said those chosen will not officially get the license until they check off additional boxes, like passing a criminal background check, entering a labor peace agreement, negotiating with local governments for brick and mortar space and clearing an inspection.
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Dozens of cannabis businesses get green light to open following Minnesota lottery
Minnesota regulators hold lotteries for business licenses, giving greenlight for some industry hopefuls to move forward two years after legalization.
www.cbsnews.com
Minnesota cannabis license lottery lights up future for 249 winners
Corin HoggardThu, June 5, 2025 at 5:11 PM CDT
"Most of Thursday’s winners were social equity applicants — veterans, people in poor neighborhoods, and people who were charged under previous marijuana laws.
Rahn is a veteran who puts a portion of his proceeds from the Warrior's Garden THC store towards his Warriors Next Adventure non-profit helping vets who suffer from PTSD.
"We've stopped 140 suicides so far, and we plan on keeping that number going up," Rahn told Fox 9.
He’s now well on his way to growing a five-store cannabis empire, starting in St. Paul to help the charity climb.
"If they've already got a site, if they've been working with their local government, they could move through these steps fairly quickly," Taubel said. "You know it could take a couple of weeks to a month.""
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Minnesota Cannabis lottery awards 249 licenses
A total of 249 people won the cannabis licensing lottery on Thursday, putting them firmly on the road to opening a business cashing in a lot of green.
