In this issue:
News and Updates
- Connecting with Community Listening Tour continues, taking OCM around the state to meet with Minnesotans
- Join us in Mankato for the Connecting with Community Listening Tour
- Annual petitions process
Government Relations Report
Resources and Reminders
|
|
News and Updates
Connecting with Community Listening Tour continues, taking OCM around the state to meet with Minnesotans
In June, OCM continued its Connecting with Community Listening Tour, with staff engaging with local officials, businesses and citizens in Bemidji.
Staff from the Beltrami Area Service Collaborative spoke with OCM staff about the UPLIFT Project.
Bemidji and the UPLIFT Project
In early June, the office headed north to Bemidji to meet with leaders of the Beltrami Area Service Collaborative (BASC). There, OCM learned more about BASC’s UPLIFT Project, a peer-led substance use prevention program at Bemidji Middle School that empowers youth to build leadership skills and make healthy choices. Staff learned about the project’s interactive activities, mentoring projects, and youth-driven campaigns that have created positive opportunities for middle school students to connect and build positive school climate.
Bemidji Middle School seventh graders worked to create after-school programming opportunities focused on preventing cannabis and substance use while promoting positive alternatives. BASC leaders shared that high-quality after-school programs are especially challenged now, with many after-school youth programs curtailed due to federal budget cuts.
Seventh grade students who participated in activities promoted through the UPLIFT Project responded overwhelmingly that the project helped them to:
- Think about making healthy choices (85% agreed)
- Feel confident standing up for themselves and others (81% agreed)
- See the importance of choosing support over substances (81% agreed)
BASC received $100,000 in funding from the state’s CanRenew community reinvestment grant program, which invests in communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition. CanRenew is just one part of the state’s commitment to social equity—established in the 2023 bill legalizing adult-use cannabis by the Minnesota Legislature, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan—to promote economic development, improve social determinants of health, provide services to prevent violence, support early intervention programs for youth and families, and promote community stability and safety.
Other stops on the tour
OCM now heads to our fifth stop on the Connecting with Community Tour. In addition to Bemidji, OCM staff has connected with community in Duluth and St. Cloud. Next, we go to Mankato. Learn more about previous and future stops on the OCM website.
|
|
Join us in Mankato for the Connecting with Community Listening Tour
You are invited to the next stop in the OCM Connecting with Community Listening Tour in Mankato on Thursday, July 30. The listening tour is designed to provide the general public with an overview of the OCM’s work and explain how the office regulates the cannabis industry in Minnesota. Most importantly, the event will allow our office to answer questions and gain valuable insights from local communities across the state. Mankato listening session
What to expect
Who should attend: Everyone! The listening tour is a great opportunity to learn more about the current state of the cannabis market or to ask any cannabis-related questions you have been curious about. We’re in the process of planning additional stops on the listening tour. If these locations aren’t convenient for you, stay tuned for future dates and locations around the state where you can join us in conversation. |
|
|
Annual petitions process
During the month of July, OCM has opened the annual online petition process for approving new cannabinoid products, product categories, and delivery methods, in addition to petitions to declare cannabinoids nonintoxicating and to approve use of cannabinoids in lower-potency hemp edibles. Petitions will only be accepted during the month of July. This process is governed by Minnesota Rules, chapter 9810, and Minnesota Statutes, chapter 342. Anyone interested in filing a petition should review the Petition Process: Submission Guidance and Review Criteria. Visit the Petitions Process webpage for more information.
|
|
Government Relations Report
Changes to Minnesota’s cannabis law
Looking for a summary of the legislative changes that impact Minnesota’s cannabis law? OCM has one available online: 2026 Legislative Changes to Chapter 342 (on our Cannabis Law webpage). Chapter 123 of Minnesota session law contains the changes passed by the Legislature this past session on a variety of topics around both cannabis and hemp licensing and regulation.
Many legislative changes will go into effect on Aug. 1, 2026 including:
- Updated endorsements for current license holders and applicants preparing their final plans of record
- The end of the of the prohibition on owning both a cannabis and hemp license
- Updates to packaging and labeling requirements for cannabis and hemp products
- Allows hemp-derived topical products to include less than 0.3% THC
- Clarifies the role of local governments and applicants in the local approval process
- Updates to the office’s legislative reporting requirements
License holders and applicants can expect to see updated guidance materials on OCM’s website in early August.
Individuals who want to see a particular issue addressed in the next legislative session can reach out. We are always happy to provide technical feedback on legislative proposals or ideas – the sooner the better!
|
|
Resources and Reminders
 |
OCM issued 16 licenses in June to businesses engaged in cultivation activities – twice the number issued in any previous month and has already surpassed that for July
Last June, OCM issued its first license to a business cultivating cannabis plants. Since then, the number of licenses issued to businesses engaged in cultivation activities has increased and we have seen a substantial burst of new cultivators receiving licenses this summer. As of late-July, 101 businesses across the state hold licenses allowing them to cultivate, including 84 microbusinesses, five mezzobusinesses, 10 cultivators, and two medical cannabis combination businesses. During the month of June, OCM issued twice the highest number of cultivation licenses issued in a single previous month! July is looking to be even more productive, with 23 businesses licensed for cultivation activities as of July 27 – and the month isn’t quite over!
As these new cultivators come online, we expect them to grow and harvest over the late summer then cure and dry in the early fall, which should lead to an increase in salable flower in products later in the fall.
In total, as of July 27, the number of cannabis licenses OCM has issued is up to 304. In addition, OCM has licensed more than 1,900 businesses to lower-
To stay up to date on Minnesota’s cannabis industry data, check out the Summary Application Data webpage (updated weekly) and the Cannabis Market Monitor (updated monthly).
