Officials in Minnesota hope to begin issuing temporary licenses for the state’s legal marijuana industry ahead of schedule—”as soon as this summer”—with an emphasis on aiding social equity applicants, they said this week during an update on the implementation of an adult-use legalization law adopted last year.
The plan from the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), which would require a change in statute from state lawmakers, would “expedite the 2025 market launch and provide early advantages to social equity participants,” according a presentation they gave to stakeholders on Tuesday.
Doing so will help prevent a “licensing bottleneck,” Charlene Briner, OCM’s interim director, said.
“We want to include a mechanism for temporary licenses, particularly for social equity applicants,” Briner said during a public webinar hosted by OCM. “And when I say temporary licenses, I mean early licenses—so as soon as this summer, depending on if the legislature decides to take us up on that.”
The change would allow equity-owned businesses to secure licenses ahead of time, according to the presentation, “so when the market opens, they have the first availability to launch.”
Current law already awards 20 percent of license application points based on social equity status, but it doesn’t
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
