OCM will select 249 qualified applicants to move forward with licensing
6/5/2025 9:49:56 PM
St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) holds its first lotteries today for social equity applicants and general applicants seeking cannabis business licenses in license types with limited quantities in state statute: cultivator, manufacturer, and mezzobusiness. Applicants selected in the lotteries will move on to the final steps in the licensing process, marking a significant milestone in the office’s work and for Minnesotans looking forward to the launch of cannabis retail sales.
"This is an exciting day for business owners preparing to establish themselves in the state’s new adult-use cannabis market,” said OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel. “We’re setting a strong foundation for an equitable and safe adult-use cannabis market that will mature over the next few years.”
OCM will also hold a lottery drawing today for social equity applicants (SEAs) seeking a cannabis retailer license – the fourth license type capped in statute. SEAs who are not selected today will join general applicants seeking a retail license 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 will take place at 11 a.m., drawing from a pool of 655 qualified SEAs. The three drawings to be held at 2 p.m. will select 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.
About the lotteries
A list of application numbers selected in today’s license application lotteries will be available on the OCM website later today; OCM’s licensing division will communicate directly with selected applicants about their next steps.
Today's lotteries will be livestreamed for applicants, media and members of the public to view via OCM’s YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@MNCannabisManagement) using procedures and controls similar to those held in other states. OCM has engaged Smartplay International, Inc., a recognized leader in digital lottery drawing systems, and Baker Tilly, an advisory tax and assurance firm, to conduct Thursday’s lotteries. Both vendors have conducted cannabis license lotteries in other states.
Number of qualified applicants and licenses available per type
| License type | Awaiting lottery (social equity applicants) | Awaiting lottery (general applicants) | Available licenses (SEA) | Available licenses (GA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis cultivator | 51 | 42 | 25 | 25 |
| Cannabis manufacturer | 41 | 38 | 12 | 12 |
| Cannabis mezzobusiness | 207 | 41 | 50 | 50 |
| Cannabis retailer | 356 | N/A | 75 | 75 |
* A cannabis retailer license lottery for general applicants and SEAs not selected today will be held on July 22.
“Today’s lottery affirms OCM’s commitment to advancing equity within the emerging cannabis market,” said Jess Jackson, OCM’s director of social equity. “Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis industry is for everyone who wants to add to its success, especially those most harmed by cannabis prohibition who now wish to gain access in a positive and redeeming way.”
Applicants for uncapped license types also progressing
Not all cannabis business license types are limited in quantity by statute. Progressing separately from applicants in today’s lotteries, nearly a thousand applicants have reached qualified status and just under 400 more are preliminarily approved for licensure – all of whom have 18 months to complete their final plans and work with local governments before OCM can issue them a final license (up-to-date numbers are available on OCM’s Summary Application Data webpage). These applicants are seeking license types including testing facilities, wholesalers, microbusinesses, transporters, delivery services, and medical cannabis combination businesses.
On June 2, OCM opened a new window for accepting registrations from businesses seeking to sell hemp-derived cannabinoid products (HDCPs) to consumers this summer. Beginning October 1 and continuing through October 31, OCM will accept business license applications for three hemp license types: lower-potency hemp edible retailers, lower-potency hemp edible manufacturers, and lower-potency hemp edible wholesalers – the last of which is a new license type approved by the 2025 Legislature and signed into law by Governor Tim Walz on Friday, May 23.
A window for cannabis event organizer applications will open later this summer.
Media Contact: Jim Walker
(651) 539-5082
jim.walker@state.mn.us
