The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) held its first lotteries today for social equity applicants and general applicants seeking cannabis business licenses in three license types that are available in limited quantities in state statute: cultivator, manufacturer, and mezzobusiness. For the cannabis retailer license—the fourth type capped in statute—OCM held a lottery drawing for social equity applicants (SEAs) only, preserving some of the advantages to SEAs envisioned in legislation. General applicants seeking a retail license will join SEAs not selected today for a lottery that will be held on July 22, providing another opportunity for SEAs to advance toward receiving a cannabis retail license.
The first four of the day’s lotteries took place at 11 a.m., drawing from a pool of 655 qualified SEAs. The three drawings held at 2 p.m. selected from a pool of 121 general applicants and 493 SEAs whose applications were not selected in the drawings held in the morning.
Applicants selected in the lotteries must still complete final steps in the licensing process before they are granted a business license, including passing background checks, providing a signed labor peace agreement with a bona fide labor organization, securing a site location and approvals from local units of government, and submitting final business plans to OCM.
