A budding business in southern Minnesota is on track for a legal cannabis market milestone: opening the first retail non-tribally owned dispensary off of tribal land. 

Jacob Schlichter, owner of The Smoking Tree in Albert Lea, Minnesota, said his business passed a state inspection, which is a key hurdle in order to secure the official license to operate after he received preliminary approval earlier this year from the Office of Cannabis Management to move forward. 

That means he could open as soon as the coming weeks when he receives the license. Other businesses learned if they got the initial green light during a lottery for capped license types last month.

“I’ll just say our favorite quote in the cannabis industry, which is ‘Hurry up and wait.’ So that kind of sums it up. We’re just waiting for the ability to pay a licensing fee,” said Schlichter, who said the process for him to open a store is years in the making. “I’m just super grateful just to be here.”

Nearly 900 cannabis operators have received initial approval from regulators and official licensing hinges on some additional steps, like inspection, passing a criminal background check and securing a space approved by local governments. Then, they must pay fees that range from $500 to $20,000. 

So far, the cannabis office has issued just one official license to a microbusiness focused on cultivation in Pine County.

Right now, Minnesotans can buy legal weed on tribal land and state compacts allow for tribally-owned dispensaries off reservations; so far, White Earth Nation has two in St. Cloud and Moorhead. 

While businesses are starting to pop up, the top regulator warns launching the industry will be a slow burn since it will take time to scale up supply to stock store shelves and other businesses will take longer to come online. 

“The reality is that as we launch the first licenses in the coming weeks, we’ll start to see new stores, new cultivators and new manufacturers shortly. But because of that deficit, it will take a while until the market reaches full maturity,” Eric Taubel, interim director of the Office of Cannabis Management, told reporters last month.

Schlichter hopes to open his doors to customers as soon as possible once he gets final approval. 

“The second I get the license, I’ll be getting my city registration and working with whoever I can to source some product,” he said. 

A native to the Albert Lea area, he said he plans to invest some of the profits back into his community, like supporting local school and arts programs. 

Cannabis for recreational use has been legal since August 2023 after the Minnesota Legislature approved the change. Lawmakers also authorized growing a select number of plants at home.

• Albert Lea
• Recreational Marijuana