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CHRONICLING LEGAL CANNABIS IN MINNESOTA

By Matt DeLong

In this week's Nuggets: Minnesota-based Vireo Health accused of racial, sexual discrimination in lawsuit; Legacy Cup returning to Surly in September; Minnesota licenses another cannabis testing facility; more cannabis flower hits the market; the Office of Cannabis Management announces the latest round of CanGrow grant recipients and a new application window; and last call for your 4/20 events, discounts and deals. 

Minnesota-based Vireo Health accused of racial, sexual discrimination in lawsuit: A lawsuit accusing Vireo Health, which operates Green Goods dispensaries in Minnesota and Maryland, of racial and sexual discrimination as well as retaliation is set to go to trial in Hennepin County District Court on Monday. The suit — filed in 2024 by former Vireo security guard Charles Dawson, who is Black — alleges that a co-worker repeatedly made inappropriate racial and sexual comments about Black men in his presence. Dawson alleges that he reported the conduct to his supervisor and was given time off, but the complaint was never investigated. When he returned to work, the store manager told him to leave and said she did not like “his kind,” the lawsuit alleges, and Vireo reassigned Dawson to another location. Dawson also alleges that he witnessed another employee discriminate against Black customers and he was assigned work that he believed should have been performed by a licensed pharmacist. Vireo Health did not respond to a request for comment on the suit. Read the complaint here.

Legacy Cup returning to Surly in September: Organizers of Minnesota’s largest cannabis festival announced late last week that the seventh annual Legacy Cup will return to Surly Brewing’s Festival Field in Minneapolis on Sept. 26. Attendees can expect more retail marijuana and food options, live music, a cannabis cup competition, consumption lounges, vendors and more. More info here.

Minnesota licenses another cannabis testing facility: Minnesota’s licensed cannabis testing facilities got additional reinforcements this week in their battle against testing backlogs. Hot on the heels of a new law allowing hemp products to be tested for potency and contaminants by accredited out-of-state facilities through May 27, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has licensed another in-state testing facility, True North Analytical in Roseville. Like Legend Technical Services and ChRi Labs, True North is fully licensed to perform all required testing for medical and recreational cannabis products. A fourth facility, Fina Lab, is authorized to perform potency and homogeneity testing only. More info about testing facilities can be found here.

New arrival: Grasston-based cultivator Trawa is the latest to bring cannabis flower to market, with seven strains under the brand name erba (the Italian word for grass) available now or coming soon to five retailers, according to a news release from the company. The stores are Loon Leaf in Blaine, Golden Valley’s Twin Cities High, Feelin’ MN in Little Canada, In-Dispensary in Minneapolis and Winona’s Black Bear Dispensary. As always, it’s a good idea to consult the retailer’s website to be sure they are open and have product in stock.

OCM announces latest round of CanGrow grant recipients, new application window: Four Minnesota organizations have been awarded funding through the state’s CanGrow grant program to provide training and financial support to help farmers enter the cannabis industry, the OCM announced Thursday. Leech Lake Financial Services, a community development financial institution that serves the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, was by far the biggest recipient with more than $400,000 in technical assistance and loan financing grants.

The OCM also announced a new window to apply for the next round of CanGrow grants, with about $2.3 million in total funds available. The deadline to apply is June 1. More information on the grant program and how to apply can be found here.

Here are the recipients of the current round of grants.

Technical assistance grants:

Loan financing grant:

Last call for your 4/20 events, discounts and deals: April 20, the unofficial holiday celebrating all things cannabis, is fast approaching. If your business is planning something special to mark the day, or if you know of others who are, we’d love to hear about it. We’ll compile and publish a list of 4/20-related events and deals next week. Please send details to nuggets@startribune.com. 

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Daniel in St. Joseph submitted this Purple Prince Government Oranges flower, grown indoors in coco coir. Thanks for sharing!

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April 10 (Fri.): Tokáhe/North Star Canna Pop Up - "Stop in and learn about their variety of brands we carry directly from their knowledgeable representatives." 3-6 p.m. Strains of the Earth, 415 S. Broadway St., #160, Jordan. More info.

April 11 (Sat.): Flame & Flora Grand Opening - Featuring giveaways, live entertainment and a "deli-style" shopping experience. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Flame & Flora Cannabis Dispensary, 2571 Credit Union Dr., Prior Lake. More info.

April 11 (Sat.): A Day With Dabba Herbal Market Pop-up - "Come see our new space, with a live DJ, food, art, giveaways and more." 5-9 p.m. Dabba TC, 460 N. Robert St., St. Paul. More info.