Minnesota on Pace to Be Top 5 Slowest Marijuana Rollout Among States

It has been well over a year since Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the bill legalizing recreational marijuana in the state, but what's taking so long for retail sales to begin?

According to reporting from FOX 9, Minnesota is on pace to become the fifth-slowest state of 23 legal states to roll out recreational marijuana from bill signing to retail sales. On average, it takes states 12 to 14 months, Minnesota is on track for 18+ months.

READ MORE: Discovery Channel Features Wild Bigfoot Murder Mystery At Minnesota Campground

Get our free mobile app

The Demand is High

And it's not for lack of demand for licenses, the state is currently sorting through 1,800 social equity applicants to determine eligibility for the first lottery, which they say will happen before the end of 2024.

The state is currently looking at the ownership structures of all the applicants, to make sure they are the actual owners of a business, and not working with or for an out-of-state operation.

282 licenses will be granted in the first lottery, but before retail sales can start, there will be another lottery for non-social equity applicants.

When Will Marijuana Go On Sale in Minnesota?

And of course before marijuana can be sold in retail outlets, the stuff needs to be grown, and it takes months to set up a commercial growing operation and harvest the first crop. Some are now predicting retail sales might not start in Minnesota until 2026.

What Happens in Other States?

States like Colorado and Washington, which were among the first to legalize recreational marijuana, took about 12 to 14 months between legalization and the start of retail sales. Other states, like New York, have faced delays due to regulatory issues, leading to extended rollout periods of over two years, and it looks like Minnesota will be giving New York some competition for slowest rollout.