Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to amend the current process of awarding cannabis licenses in Minnesota, focusing on prioritizing social equity applicants during the application review process.

Main Provisions

• Prioritizing Social Equity Applicants: The bill requires the Office of Cannabis Management to review all verified social equity applicants before considering general licensing applicants for cannabis-related licenses.
• Lottery System for Licensing:
  • If the number of social equity applicants exceeds the available licenses designated for them, a lottery will be conducted to select applicants for preliminary approval. Those not selected will still be considered within the general pool.
  • If the overall number of applicants (including both social equity and general applicants) exceeds the available licenses, a separate lottery will be used to select applicants for license approval.
• The lottery must be impartial and random, with its format decided by the Office of Cannabis Management.

Significant Changes

• The bill amends the process for cannabis license application reviews by establishing a clear priority for social equity applicants to be considered before general applicants.
• It introduces a structured lottery system to ensure fairness and transparency in the licensing approval process.

Relevant Terms

• Social equity applicants
• Cannabis licenses
• Office of Cannabis Management
• Application lottery system