ST. PAUL, Minn. (KTTC) – On Wednesday, the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced it has issued the first cannabis business in the state of Minnesota. OCM said the first licensee is Herb Quest, LLC, which is a microbusiness in Brook Park in Pine County.

According to OCM, the first primary business activity for Herb Quest, LLC, will be the outdoor cultivation of cannabis plants.

“Issuing the first business license is a major milestone for the office,” OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel said. “With our first licensed cultivator now able to begin growing plants, and more than 600 businesses within the final steps of completing their applications and securing approvals from local governments, we are now seeing the first pieces of Minnesota’s adult-use market fall into place.”

Along with the new licensee, OCM also announced new opportunities for business owners, who may be interested in becoming a part of Minnesota’s emerging adult-use cannabis market. OCM said these opportunities include a new round for prospective applicants to have their social equity status verified, a new licensing window for cannabis testing facilities, and finally, the first licensing opportunity for cannabis event organizers.

Applicants who want to have their social equity status verified will have a chance to do so between Jul. 7 at 12:01 a.m. to Jul. 21 at 11:59 p.m. OCM said while verifying social equity is not required for obtaining a cannabis license, it is still a necessary step for those who wish to apply for a cannabis business license with a social equity classification.

Those who have already had their social equity status verified do not need to seek verification again. More information on the social equity verification process is available here.

Aug. 1 of this year is when OCM will be opening a new and ongoing application window for cannabis testing facilities.

“ISO accreditation is a lengthy process, so we wanted to provide a shorter runway for labs who wish to enter Minnesota’s cannabis market in such an essential way while also helping other cannabis business owners get up and running with safe, tested products,” OCM Chief Regulatory Officer Max Zappia said. “Having testing facilities with capacity is essential to our mission to establish an equitable cannabis industry that prioritizes public health and safety, consumer confidence, and market integrity.”

Aug. 1 is also when OCM will begin accepting applications for cannabis event organizer licenses. According to OCM, this license authorizes the holder to plan and host temporary cannabis-related events in Minnesota.

OCM said this license is temporary and must be obtained separately for each event, and all cannabis event activities must have local approval.

Event organizers are required to obtain this approval before submitting an application to the OCM and provide proof of local approval as part of the application.

More information on submitting an application for a cannabis business license is available here.

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