First Lottery Held for Cannabis License Applicants in Minnesota

MINNESOTA.–The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management held its first cannabis license lottery on Thursday.

The lottery determines which applicants can move forward in the states adult-use cannabis licensing process.

Nearly 800 applicants were vying for 249 licenses in Thursdays lottery.

The license types include cultivator, manufacturer, mezzobusiness and retailer.

The competition was high as the lottery saw general applicants and those applying under the state’s social equity program (SEA).

Selected applicants are not guaranteed licenses but are invited to complete the next steps of the process, which includes background checks and securing a business location.

“The applicants that are in the lottery today have done substantial work to get to this point, including filling out their applications correctly,” Eric Taubel, Interim Director for the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management said. “But also they’re out in the out in the communities, looking for spaces to locate these businesses. We know that as soon as we finish this lottery, many of these applicants will start the hard work of getting ready to open those cannabis stores and building the cannabis market.”

A second lottery will be held in July for general applicants and remaining SEA applicants seeking a retailer license.

Full list of the selected application numbers from Thursdays lottery.