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CHRONICLING LEGAL CANNABIS IN MINNESOTA

By Matt DeLong

In this week’s Nuggets: A curious pot shop rises in St. Paul; Minnesota hemp retailers challenge new ban on mail-order THC sales; St. Paul seeks cannabis manager to help budding businesses; an early bet on craft in Minnesota’s fledgling cannabis market; beer industry joins push for feds to rein in THC-infused drinks; coalition of Minnesota hemp businesses seek meeting with AG Ellison; the state licenses four more cannabis businesses; OCM now accepting medical cannabis consultant training program proposals; and a roundup of local government news.

A curious pot shop rises in St. Paul: Bloom Wellness Dispensary opened for business late last week at 550 Vandalia St. in St. Paul – in the space previously occupied by the Rise medical cannabis dispensary, before Rise moved across town to its current Ford Parkway location. The store is authorized to serve both medical and adult-use customers and it is, for now at least, carrying a limited amount of recreational cannabis flower and pre-rolls exclusively from Rise brands. The medical menu includes vapes, concentrates, edibles and topicals, also from Rise. One of Bloom Wellness’ owners, Brendan Blume, is a former executive at Rise parent company Green Thumb Industries (GTI).

Jourdan Kurtz, Bloom Wellness’ head of retail operations and a former executive at Chicago-based cannabis giant Verano Holdings, told Nuggets that his company has no business agreement with GTI other than as a wholesale customer. He said Bloom Wellness has a pharmacist on staff to conduct medical cannabis consultations for those interested in enrolling in Minnesota’s medical cannabis program. Kurtz hopes to start carrying hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles soon, he said. The company, which has a cannabis retailer license allowing up to five stores, plans to open additional locations in Coon Rapids and Maplewood next year, Kurtz said. He added that he would like to see the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) lower the 2:1 ratio of medical to adult-use cannabis that Minnesota’s existing licensed medical cannabis combination businesses – including GTI and Vireo Health – are allowed to cultivate, in order to increase the state’s supply of recreational marijuana.

Bloom Wellness is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 

Reminder: We’re tracking where you can legally buy marijuana in Minnesota with this free map.

Minnesota hemp retailers challenge new ban on mail-order THC sales: Businesses say the OCM did not give notice or follow procedure before restricting direct-to-consumer shipments of low-potency hemp edibles, Emmy Martin reports. Read more. (Gift link.)

St. Paul seeks cannabis manager to help budding businesses: Aspiring entrepreneurs say opening a recreational cannabis business in Minnesota has not been easy as they struggle to find locations and comply with local regulations. St. Paul hopes to change that by adding a cannabis oversight job to the city’s payroll in 2026. That staff member will help businesses register, find properly zoned locations and stay within the bounds of local laws. But some business owners are skeptical that the position will clear up questions or delays, Eleanor Hildebrandt reports. Read more.

OPINION | An early bet on craft in Minnesota’s fledgling cannabis market: At a time of tight supply, Concentrate Labs is not chasing volume. It’s focusing on quality with its farm-to-rosin model, taking a similar approach as a winemaker, writes Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Clemon Dabney. Read more.

Beer industry joins push for feds to rein in THC-infused drinks: “The American beer industry has taken aim at makers of THC-infused beverages and edibles in a campaign that could have reverberations in Minnesota, a state that sparked a national explosion in the sales of hemp-derived beverages. The beer industry, which has seen sales drop — especially among younger consumers — has joined the marijuana industry in seeking federal regulation of THC-infused drinks, which are now only regulated by state laws,” Ana Radelat reports for MinnPost. Read more.

Related: The Minnesota Hemp Beverage Producers Association — a coalition of 21 local hemp industry leaders representing Fulton Brewing Co., Surly Brewing Co., Earl Giles Bottling and others — released a letter this week seeking a meeting with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in response to the recent letter Ellison signed along with 38 other attorneys general effectively calling for a ban on intoxicating hemp products. The group acknowledges that Ellison has said he supports Minnesota’s growing hemp industry but warns that a ban would mean the coalition members would “no longer be able to produce and sell beverages in this category, while independent retailers and ultimately consumers will no longer be able to purchase federally legal lower-potency hemp beverages.” Read the letter. 

OCM licenses four more cannabis businesses: This week’s crop includes a new northernmost dispensary in Warroad. Below are Minnesota's latest licensees and their authorized activities.

OCM now accepting medical cannabis consultant training program proposals: Under Minnesota law, licensed businesses authorized to sell medical marijuana to patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program must employ either a licensed pharmacist or a certified medical cannabis consultant (CMCC). Currently, there are no CMCCs because no training programs for medical cannabis consultation certification have been approved. The OCM began accepting proposals for training program curricula Nov. 3. The window for submissions will remain open until Dec. 1. More information about medical cannabis consultant training programs can be found here. 

Local government roundup:

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Nov. 9 (Sun.): Smoking on the Runway - High Fashion Edition - "An unforgettable fusion of high fashion, elevated culture, and unapologetic expression." 4-9 p.m. Hook and Ladder Theater, 3010 Minnehaha Av., Minneapolis. More info.

Nov. 9 (Sun.): Puff + Paint with CannababeMN and Dreamy Jade - "This time we're painting dreamy moths." 1-3 p.m. CannaJoyMN, 4753 S. Chicago Av., Minneapolis. More info.

Nov. 19 (Wed.): Minneapolis Cannabis Technical Assistance Program Webinar - A free webinar on the next steps after receiving license preliminary approval for cannabis businesses that plan to operate within the city of Minneapolis. Register by emailing clerk@shulmanbuske.com. Noon-1:30 p.m. More info.

Nov. 19 (Wed.): Seed-to-Sale Essentials for Minnesota Licensees - "Learn how to connect retail tech, secure infrastructure, and standard operating procedures with accounting controls that support seed-to-sale compliance." Presented by Canna Connect. 5-8 p.m. The Wilderness Fitness and Coworking, 1010 W. Lake St., Minneapolis. More info.

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