Press ESC to close

    13 MN Cities Eyeing Cannabis Stores!

    As some Minnesota cities fret over regulating newly legalized and normalized marijuana sales, others see an opportunity. 

    Elk River is among 13 Minnesota cities considering opening municipally owned cannabis stores. They would be blazing new trails in this regard, as government-run pot shops aren’t currently in use anywhere else in the country. City Administrator Cal Portner talks about Elk River’s approach as making the most of a situation.

    “I don’t sense that our council is enthusiastic about the law to legalize, but they’re accepting of reality,” he said.

    Revenue potential from cannabis sales, and how it can be put to use in the community, is part of the appeal. Assuring compliance is also part of it.

    “Our liquor stores never fail compliance tests, whether for tobacco or liquor,” Portner said. “We feel we can do the same thing within the cannabis industry.”

    The full list of cities applying to run municipal cannabis stores, according to the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), includes: 

    • Anoka

    • Blaine

    • Buffalo

    • Byron

    • Elk River

    • Grand Rapids

    • Lauderdale

    • Mounds View 

    • St. Anthony Village

    • St. Joseph

    • Osseo

    • Owatonna

    • Wyoming

    Liquor munis as a model

    The only state with any track record of a government-run cannabis shop is Washington, where a store in North Bonneville opened in 2015 and operated until 2021. Where Minnesota differed from Washington and other legalized-cannabis states was in the defined path it created for cities to pursue cannabis munis. 

    Buzz

    Buzz

    At 420 Intel, we cover cannabis legalization news throughout the world, offer reliable information for cannabis business owners, detail technological advances that impact the marijuana industry, cover marijuana rallies from across the globe, and everything in between.