Stepping out into the sun from the Rise Dispensary in St. Paul on Thursday, Hanh Tran held up a brown paper bag and said it was the start of a new era.

It was her first purchase of legal recreational-use cannabis, days after Rise Dispensaries and Green Goods, the state’s two medical cannabis providers, began selling recreational-use products to customers 21 and over.

Both companies were issued medical cannabis combination business licenses on Monday, according to Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management. That allows them to convert one-third of their supply to recreational stock.

“I heard [recreational sales started] through my sister, but I came here and they hadn’t started,” Tran said of her first attempt at buying on Tuesday.

Dozens of people stopped by the dispensary during midday Thursday. Some questioned if recreational sales really had begun before walking in.

Cannabis sales have been ongoing across the state, but so far, they have been mostly confined to tribal shops and medical dispensaries.

Jasmine Hall, another customer, said she drove 15 minutes to make her first recreational cannabis purchase in Minnesota. Before that, she only bought from dispensaries while visiting Michigan, she said.

“It pissed me off [having to wait],” Hall said. “I’ve shopped in Colorado and Seattle, so being able to have it here now, hopefully we can get up there with the rest of the markets.”

Hall said she uses cannabis to de-stress. In most cases, she prefers to use it after a long day of work.

“You’re relaxed, easy-going,” Hall said of being high.

The start of nontribal recreational sales comes more than two years after Gov. Tim Walz signed the law legalizing recreational cannabis use across the state.

Walz also signed off on the creation of the Office of Cannabis Management, which is in charge of licensing for incoming cannabis industry businesses.

According to the agency, since June 18, the state has issued 37 business licenses, including 23 licenses to microbusinesses with plans to conduct retail cannabis sales.

Even with licenses in place, there have been setbacks.

According to previous Sahan Journal reporting, Minnesota officials have always been vague about exactly when retail sales of recreational cannabis would start, but predicted cannabis would be on store shelves sometime in the first quarter of 2025.

Procuring licenses and a limited supply chain have been the biggest challenges for recreational sales. Businesses have been waiting for cultivators, manufacturers and testing facilities to establish a supply of products to sell to customers.

Tran noted there are still limited options for recreational purchase, but said being able to buy regulated cannabis was still worth it.

The dispensaries offer cannabis in various forms, including flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles and beverages.

Edibles and beverages containing THC were legalized in Minnesota in 2022, but the purchase of actual marijuana didn’t start until this year.

“It’s nice to be able to go somewhere and buy it,,” Tran said. “Before this, I had a person. That person will no longer be in business.”

As of Friday, Minnesota has signed two tribal-state cannabis compacts, with the White Earth Nation and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The agreements are meant to help state-licensed retail businesses partner with tribal nations to procure safe, tested cannabis products at wholesale in order to stock their shelves, according to the Office of Cannabis Management.

Quin Fairley, a Rise dispensary customer, heard about recreational sales opening up from the news. She said she’s been waiting for years to be able to buy recreational cannabis in Minnesota and thought the day might never come.

“I feel good; I like that it’s around the house,” she said. “I don’t have to travel too far.”

Fairley said that before Thursday afternoon’s visit to the dispensary she had traveled to St. Cloud anytime she wanted to buy cannabis.

What to expect when buying:

Some first-time buyers of recreational cannabis in Minnesota said they have experience buying cannabis in other states where recreational sales have long been present.

Minnesota is the 23rd state to legalize cannabis use and sales for adults, but the process for buyers in the state might be different than that in other states.

David Calaway stopped by Rise Dispensary in St. Paul on Thursday, but minutes after walking in, he walked out empty-handed. 

“I wouldn’t do it,” Calaway said. “You have to look at everything in the kiosk machine and you can’t view it until you buy it.”

Calaway said although the kiosk used for purchasing did include THC levels, for him it’s always been best practice to hold the cannabis, smell it and see it before buying.

So far, cannabis flowers in Minnesota are sold in prepackaged containers.

“It’s hard to buy prepackaged weed,” he said. “It’s supposed to be good, but it dries out in the jar.”

For recreational cannabis purchases, customers only need a state or government ID showing they’re at least 21 years old. 

Purchases can be made either in cash or by a debit card.