Minnesotans can now purchase recreational cannabis at non-tribal dispensaries for the first time since legalization in 2023.
Last week, RISE Dispensaries and Green Goods—the state’s two medical cannabis providers—began selling adult-use products to customers 21 and older. According to the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), both companies were issued combination business licenses for medical and adult-use cannabis on Monday.
In Minnesota, residents 21 and older have already been allowed to possess and home cultivate cannabis for more than two years. Meanwhile, the OCM has been working to establish a licensed industry to provide access to tested and taxed products statewide. That effort became a reality last week.
Minneapolis-based Vireo Growth Inc. announced that it recorded its first adult-use cannabis sale on Sept. 16 at its Green Goods dispensary in downtown Minneapolis. The company now offers both medical and adult-use cannabis at all eight of its retail locations across the state, including in Blaine, Bloomington, Burnsville, Duluth, Moorhead, Rochester and Woodbury.
Founded in Minnesota’s medical cannabis market in 2014, Vireo has long maintained a local presence.
“As a Minnesota company founded with a long-term vision for cannabis, we are proud to begin making our products available to all Minnesotans,” said Amber Shimpa, president of Vireo, in a press release. “We will always remain committed to our medical patients and product portfolio, as we have for over 10 years, and we look forward to this new opportunity to serve adult-use customers with the same standard of quality and care.”
At the same time, Green Thumb Industries announced that it would launch adult-use sales at 9 a.m. on Sept. 17 at five RISE dispensaries in the state, located in Brooklyn Park, Eagan, Mankato, New Hope and Willmar.
As a multistate operator, Green Thumb has a footprint spanning 20 manufacturing facilities and 108 dispensaries across 14 states. The company also pledged to donate a portion of its first-day adult-use profits in Minnesota to nonprofit organizations, including the Balanced Veterans Network and Metro Meals on Wheels.
“We’re ready to rock,” said Ben Kovler, CEO of Green Thumb Industries. “More Americans need more wellbeing now than ever, and it’s awesome that Minnesota is stepping into it to offer cannabis for adults 21 and over.”
With this launch, Minnesota becomes the 23rd state in the nation to open adult-use cannabis retail sales. Virginia remains the only state that has legalized recreational cannabis without establishing a licensed dispensary system.
Previously, access in Minnesota was limited to dispensaries on tribal lands and two off-reservation stores in Moorhead and St. Cloud operated by the White Earth Nation. The opening of sales at Green Goods and RISE significantly expands access, even as much of the state’s cannabis industry continues preparing to become fully operational.
- The news is soured from Cannabis Business Times and MPR News
Post time: Sep-25-2025
