Minnesota is still trucking along with building up its cannabis team. Star Tribune recently interviewed Charlene Briner, who explained the current status and challenges of the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). “I am here for a little longer than anybody had planned, at least through the early part of 2024,” Briner told Star Tribune. “I think the governor is evaluating next steps.” She added that she’s under contract with the state until Feb. 15, 2024, but hopes to hire nine key administrators for OCM by the end of 2023 or early January 2024.

Recently, Briner explained that the Minnesota Department of Health hired inspectors specifically to keep an eye on hemp-derived businesses and products. Additionally, the Department of Agriculture is helping the Department of Health on compliance enforcement, and many government employees have been reassigned to assist with compliance as well, with an expected total of 120 employees to bolster cannabis management. “There’s a lot of work happening behind the scenes keeping us on track for a successful launch in 2025,” said Briner.

Briner ended her interview by confirming that the deadline is still realistic, and that the application window for cannabis business owners to apply for a license could possibly begin by the last quarter of 2024. “What we have learned is that this is an ambitious timeline, but we are committed to meeting it and there’s a lot of work to be done,” Briner concluded.

The previous OCM director Erin DuPree’s appointment was announced on Sept. 21, 2023. On Sept. 22, allegations arose that she owned a hemp cannabis company (Loonacy Cannabis Co., which she founded in July 2022) but that she sold illegal or unregulated hemp products. That same day she said she “would not be going forward” with her appointment.

Gov. Tim Walz originally described DuPree as a star candidate, saying “she has managed multiple aspects of the business and led continued research on hemp-derived and cannabis products while maintaining compliance with state laws and regulations,” Walz said. “With direct experience in Minnesota’s hemp and cannabis industry and over 20 years of success in launching, managing, and growing businesses and organizations, Erin DuPree is an outstanding choice to lead the Office of Cannabis Management.”

DuPree responded to her appointment with optimism, stating that her first goal was to start hiring more people to build up the team. It appears that an OCM director wasn’t needed for that to happen, according to Briner’s interview statements. The Star Tribune reported that Walz has not interviewed anyone for the director position yet.

Minnesota was the 23rd state to legalize recreational cannabis on May 2, 2023, when Walz signed the bill into law. In a speech, Walz explained the failed War on Drugs and the need for change. “We’ve known for too long that prohibiting the use of cannabis hasn’t worked. By legalizing adult-use cannabis, we’re expanding our economy, creating jobs, and regulating the industry to keep Minnesotans safe,” Walz said. “Legalizing adult-use cannabis and expunging or resentencing cannabis convictions will strengthen communities. This is the right move for Minnesota.”

The law allows residents to possess 32 ounces of cannabis at home (about 2 pounds), and grow up to four plants. While in public, they can legally possess up to two ounces at a time, while other states such as California, Washington, and Nevada only allow one ounce of cannabis at home, and Colorado limits home possession to one ounce. “The vast majority of adult use states that allow home cultivation don’t have any explicit limit,” says NORML Political Director Morgan Fox. “And most of them explicitly say that you can keep whatever you grow in your own home. There are four states aside from Minnesota that actually have set limits. Massachusetts has 10 ounces, Michigan has 10 ounces, Oregon is eight ounces and New York is 5 pounds.”

Recent analysis by Vicente LLP shows that Minnesota’s cannabis industry could reach up to $1.5 billion in value by 2029, selling to an estimated 650,000 adult-use cannabis and medical cannabis consumers across the state every year.

Although it’s going to take time to get the state’s cannabis program up and running, the Minnesota-based Native American Red Lake Nation Tribe quickly set up sales that began on August 1, making it the first dispensary in the state. “We see this as a resource not only to reduce harm, but to also bring in resources to help our people recover,” said Sam Strong, Red Lake Nation’s tribal secretary. While alcohol isn’t allowed on tribal land, the tribe already has plans to provide medical cannabis as well to offer tribe members.

Last month, the University of Minnesota (UM) announced the launch of its Cannabis Research center, which is funded by the cannabis legalization bill signed by Walz in May. “I am excited for the opportunity to lead the Cannabis Research Center and, alongside my colleagues at the School of Public Health, to conduct innovative research on the health effects of adult-use cannabis legalization on people and communities across the state, including prevention and treatment of substance use disorders, equity issues, education and decriminalization,” said UM professor Traci Toomey. The goal is to provide research that can serve as evidence for policymakers to make informed decisions about cannabis legislation.

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On September 21, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appointed cannabis business consultant Erin DuPree as head of the Office of Cannabis Management, to oversee the state’s nascent adult-use marijuana market. On September 22, amid allegations that she sold illegal products at her hemp shop, DuPree said that she would “not be going forward” as the the state’s new cannabis czar.

Her appointment would have taken effect on October 2.

Walz, a Democrat, pushed a bill allowing recreational cannabis use for adults 21 of years and older, making Minnesota the 23rd US state to legalize nonmedical marijuana. The bill, which was signed in May and went into effect on August 1, allows residents of Minnesota to possess and grow their own marijuana.

Per the Star Tribune, “Loonacy Cannabis Co., which DuPree founded in Apple Valley in July 2022, advertised and sold noncompliant vapes and edible products containing more THC than is legally allowed, according to the store’s social media videos and online product listings that have since been deleted.”

Just a day earlier, Walz defended DuPree as his pick in a statement, writing “she has managed multiple aspects of the business and led continued research on hemp-derived and cannabis products while maintaining compliance with state laws and regulations. With direct experience in Minnesota’s hemp and cannabis industry and over 20 years of success in launching, managing, and growing businesses and organizations, Erin DuPree is an outstanding choice to lead the Office of Cannabis Management.”

Before the revelations, DuPree said that “it is an honor to join the Walz-Flanagan administration as the first director of the new Office of Cannabis Management,” said DuPree. “I look forward to working closely with all of the legislators, stakeholders, and advocates who worked so hard to pass this new law and am committed to the work of ensuring Minnesota’s new adult-use cannabis industry will grow and thrive for years to come.”

DuPree said the first objective of her tenure as head of the Office of Cannabis Management would be hiring. The office allegedly needs around 150 employees, and several job postings went online earlier last week. 

Asked about the timeframe, DuPree hoped that Minnesota’s legal cannabis industry would take shape more quickly than those of other states, which have taken anywhere between two or three years to start retail. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here,” she said. “We’re lucky as the 23rd state to legalize, we can look back on the other 22 states and see what’s been good and what’s not been good and use that to help make policy here.” The Office of Cannabis Management expects retail sales by 2025, with rulemaking for adult-use cannabis and lower-potency hemp products starting this fall.

Some cannabis publications believe that Minnesota’s market will take longer to open than those of states like California, Michigan, Washington, New Jersey and Colorado, all of which saw retail less than 19 months after legalization. 

But Minnesotans don’t have to wait to enjoy legal cannabis, as several retail stores have already opened on Native American reservations. The Red Lake Reservation in north-central Minnesota began selling recreational marijuana at its NativeCare store on August 1, the very day that state-wide legalization went into effect. Demand has been so strong in the reservation that the tribe also plans to launch a mobile marijuana  store in the near future. 

Over in the northeastern city of Mahnomen, the White Earth Nation opened an adult-use store as the first step of a cultivation operation. Finally, the business council of the Leech Lake Band of the Ojibwe tribe has approved an ordinance allowing for the sale and consumption of recreational cannabis on its reservation, with plans to open an adult-use retail program currently in the works. 

In case you didn’t know and are wondering why all this is possible, tribal nations across the US are allowed to implement their own retail programs independently of state legislators. As for the rest of Minnesota’s 5.7 million population, they will have to wait and see what the next cannabis czar is going to do.

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