CHRONICLING LEGAL CANNABIS IN MINNESOTA |
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In this week's Nuggets: A testing backlog is the latest bottleneck for the Minnesota pot market; more flower, live resin vapes and clones are hitting stores; Karen Tolkkinen writes about a CBD business that was about to take off until Minnesota told them they couldn’t ship; state cannabis regulators are going on a listening tour; White Earth Nation plans a new marijuana dispensary in East Grand Forks; and a roundup of local government news. |
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Testing backlog is the latest bottleneck for the Minnesota pot market: Two-and-a-half years after Minnesota legalized recreational cannabis, dozens of new marijuana businesses are opening. That means potentially thousands of new smokable, vape-able and edible products will need to be tested for safety by a licensed Minnesota lab before they can be sold to consumers. Cannabis business owners say lengthy testing delays have created a new obstacle to getting marijuana onto store shelves. Read more.
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More flower, live resin vapes, clones hitting stores: While there are some lengthy waits at the labs, not everything is stuck in limbo. Here are some new products from state-licensed businesses that are currently available or coming soon: |
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Unbound, a new cannabis brand from City of Gold Botanicals Inc., one of the tenants of the HWY35 cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility in Grand Rapids, currently has two strains of flower stocked at seven retailers across Minnesota. The strains are Angry Apples and Watermelon Freeze. You can find them at Altitude Dispensary in Monticello, the city-run Anoka Cannabis Co., Lakeland Shores’ Green Canopy Craft Dispensary; Legacy Cannabis in Duluth, Minneapolis and Woodbury; and Sweetleaves in Minneapolis.
- Legacy Cannabis’ locations in Minneapolis and Woodbury also have flower from the Greenest Pastures in Hinckley in stock, as does Roseville’s Frostbite Dispensary. Andy Gruber of Greenest Pastures told Nuggets that he expects New Brighton’s Lucky Strains and O’Buds in Annandale to receive product next week.
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Gabriel Hanson of Loon Labs said he hopes to release a new line of adult-use live resin disposable vapes as soon as next week, though he said the timeline could be affected by a brief delay at the testing lab. Check the store locator on the Loon Labs website to find a retailer.
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Prior Lake’s Aurora Cannabis is currently offering a fairly wide array of clones. Randy Beuc, who owns Aurora with his wife, Sasha, said he purchased all of them from reputable tissue culture sources and they have only been in his garden, but they have not yet been tested for disease. See the clone list here.
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Reminder: We are continuing to update our retail cannabis map with stores that are verified to be open for business with adult-use cannabis products in stock. If you know about other cannabis brands coming online, please email nuggets@startribune.com to let us know!
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Their CBD business was about to take off. Then Minnesota told them they couldn’t ship. Minnesota’s ban on shipping CBD products was overturned last week, a relief especially to rural retailers, writes Karen Tolkkinen. Read more. |
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Minnesota cannabis regulators are going on the road: The state Office of Cannabis Management announced last Friday that it will embark on a statewide listening tour “ to share updates about the office’s work and to engage community members in thoughtful conversation.” The “Connecting With Community” listening tour will include both public meetings and conversations with local government officials and tribal nations, as well as visits with grant recipients, community groups and cannabis businesses, according to a news release. OCM staffers will visit Pine County and Cloquet on March 12, with a “public listening session” featuring OCM Director Eric Taubel slated the following day in Duluth. More info here.
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White Earth Nation plans marijuana dispensary in East Grand Forks: "The White Earth Nation has purchased a former Burger King on Central Avenue and plans to open a Waabigwan Mashkiki dispensary as early as April," Isak Dinesen reports for Inforum. Read more. |
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Local government roundup: |
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Many thanks to Arnold in St. Paul for sharing this outdoor Squirt plant. "In keeping with the name, these plants exuded a lovely grapefruit-heavy citrus scent which made for some excellent bubble hash," Arnold writes. |
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Homegrowers, show off your plants! Share your best photo with us by clicking the button below and we'll publish one each week in Nuggets. By submitting a photo you affirm that you own the rights to it and you are granting permission to the Star Tribune to publish it on its platforms. |
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Talk to us! We want to hear what you think about Nuggets. Send feedback, questions, events, story tips or new feature ideas to nuggets@startribune.com. |
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Feb. 27-28 (Fri.-Sat.): Lucky Leaf Expo Minneapolis - "Come network with some of the best professionals in the cannabis industry during our two-day cannabis conference." Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 S. 2nd Av., Minneapolis. More info. |
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Feb. 27 (Fri.): Canna Connect's Lucky Leaf After Party - Enjoy local food, community networking and the launch of a new Canna Connect x Earl Giles beverage collab. 5-10 p.m. Earl Giles Restaurant & Distillery, 1325 NE. Quincy St., Suite 100, Minneapolis. More info. |
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| Got questions about cannabis? |
Send them to us and we'll do our best to answer as many as we can in future newsletters. |
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