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Can I borrow a shovel and help you out?
North Star Cannabis Consulting Newsletter
Jen Reise
December 11, 2025
In partnership with
I returned from Vegas into a Minneapolis full of snow and ICE this week and shoveled out alongside my neighbors. Minnesotans are good at dealing with cold and snow. We get the right equipment, help each other, and get through. We need it, now. As 2025 comes to a close, I’m seeing the trickle of licensed dispensaries and other licensed businesses increase. Flower supply is still extremely tight, but I expect it to ease somewhat in 1Q26 and be in abundant supply by summer 2026. Many other hurdles remain - I highlight testing and the looming federal hemp ban, below, among others. It’s two weeks until Christmas and less until the darkest day of the year. So the next issue of this newsletter will be Dec. 23. Stay warm out there! |  Jen Randolph Reise (photo by Angela Knox) |
MN CANNABIS UPDATES
New Licensees; Testing Gap Still Looms
A list of adult-use licensees is now available from OCM here! It includes license types and business types, addresses, and email. As of Dec. 1, there were 117 licensed adult-use businesses in Minnesota. Congratulations to the new licensees, which include Green Apple Cannabis in Breckenridge, MN, a member of the North Star Accelerator Program!
This public list will also help licensees looking to connect with wholesalers, transporters, and testing labs (there are now 3 licensed testing labs in MN).
Speaking of labs, this resource from OCM details the three labs that are open and in what areas they are approved to test. Worryingly, there are huge gaps here (EG one can only do potency testing, and only Legends can do terpene analysis). More testing capacity is going to be needed, especially with hemp THC needing to be tested in-state starting 1/1/26.
Federal Hemp Ban Forum
MN-OCM is convening a Federal Hemp Ban forum on Wed., Dec. 17, from 5-7 PM, " to provide space for industry to share the impact of the ban on your business and inform and strategize around any potential state legislative pathways in the upcoming legislative session." Space is limited; register here
(For more on the federal hemp ban coming in November 2026, see “Hemp THC Corner” below)
Jen Randolph Reise Wins “Glass Ceiling” Honors for Social Impact
Jen was honored at the Blunt Brunch at MJBizCon for her work lifting up entrepreneurs through the North Star Accelerator Program and this newsletter!
Guest Blog: Safe Work In Minnesota’s Cannabis Industry: Navigating OCM Requirements
By Cathy Hovde of Resilient EHS
Worker safety in Minnesota’s cannabis and hemp industry is governed by the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and Minnesota Occupational Health and Safety Administration. The rules are spread across several sections of state regulation, depending on the type of business. Cathy provides us with a streamlined guide to the key requirements specific to worker health and safety.
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Other Minnesota Cannabis News
A fire at White Earth tribe's cannabis operations forced evacuations but was contained with no injuries on Dec. 2
Minnesota lawmakers have been active in speaking against the federal hemp ban, including Rep. Angie Craig (D).
State senators Robert Kupec (DFL-Moorhead) and Nolan West (R-Blaine) point out the advantages of employee stock ownership structures (ESOP) to avoid taxes and have introduced HF3330/SF3520 to allow ESOPs.
Report Back from MJBizCon
Grateful for the fantastic turnout at our Minnesota panel at MJBizCon last week! Our discussion was rich and wide-ranging:
How Minnesota structured social equity — and how it’s playing out on the ground
The pivotal role of hemp THC today and where it’s headed
Micro-licensees and the race to market
Our uniquely Minnesota features like tribal compacts and municipal dispensaries (Anoka, MN will be the nation’s first muni dispensary, opening by year-end!)
Pictured: Jason Tarasek, Vicente; Jen Randolph Reise, North Star Cannabis Consulting; Mitch Chargo, Hinshaw & Culbertson; and Fatima Moore, SotaCANN
Hemp-Derived THC Corner
National Ban Looms
As noted above, Minnesota’s thriving hemp THC beverage industry and all hemp THC faces a federal ban that will go into effect in November 2026, unless otherwise changed before then. Catch up with our blog on the federal ban here.
Advocates are working hard to effect that change. One option: Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley filed a bill which would federally regulate hemp and allow states to set their own policies around hemp-derived THC products. The bill would limit servings to 5 mg of THC or 10 mg for drinks, and 50 mg per container.
A new Congressional report expresses uncertainty about how a federal hemp ban would be enforced after it goes into effect on Nov. 12 - IE, would it be illegal on paper but not a federal enforcement priority (as state-regulated marijuana as been in recent years). The feds “lack the resources” to enforce the new ban, notes Green State.
Minnesota Hemp THC Licensing Progresses
MN-OCM has released data on the license applications it received in October for low-potency hemp licenses:
Jen’s take: I'm glad to see movement on this! I’m also hearing that some applicants are getting notices that their application was denied or needs adjustment because a cannabis and hemp license cannot be held together. If you need help navigating a correction request, my team can likely help - contact us at [email protected]
I am also hearing that MN-OCM plans to open a new window for hemp THC licensure soon.
(See “Around the Country” below for more hemp THC news)
The Minnesota Star Tribune has released a map of stores where consumers can legally buy cannabis in Minnesota, available here (last updated Nov. 25).
Jen and Kes have visited and profiled two of the independent dispensaries on this list on Instagram, Loon Leaf and Lucky Strains, and we're just getting started!
The owner of Loon Leaf, Joelle, is a pharmacist by training, and has gotten approved to sell both recreational and medical flower
Green State has released its Holiday Gift Guide of the 25 best cannabis gifts of 2025 - and it includes THREE Minnesota craft producers, the Shake Infused Edible Glitter Drops from 23rd State, the Terpene Tasting Kit by Ghislaine Ball, certified ganjier; and Green Piece Bongs!
Around the Country
The Chicago City Council advanced a proposal ban on THC sales within the city limits, over objections from the industry and Chicago restaurants and bars.
A proposed Wisconsin bill aims to shield both hemp farmers and the intoxicating hemp industry from a federal ban. It joins a competing hemp bill in Wisconsin that would create a 3-tier system and is supported by brewers and restaurants. Learn more
The Guardian warns that the federal hemp ban will shut down the U.S. cannabis seed market, hurting the industry, homegrowers, and patients.
Texas has amended its hemp rules to age-gate hemp THC sales to only those 21+
“Are consumption lounges the ‘next frontier’ for legal cannabis?” asks MJBiz, in an interesting article featuring Oaksterdam’s Dale Sky Jones
More Prohibitionist Activity
The Ohio Senate passed a bill which would “recriminalize the possession of cannabis purchased outside of the state or removed from its original package. The bill would also criminalize consuming cannabis edibles in public and it would potentially limit which cannabis paraphernalia consumers were allowed to use,” Cultivated reports. Learn more here.
"Could Massachusetts Become the First State to Undo Legal Weed?" The Free Press explains what may be on the ballot in 2026 in MA.
In High Times, “Is a MAGA-Aligned Think Tank Using the Hemp Ban to Advance a New Federal War on Cannabis?” (Dec. 9, 2025)
UPCOMING EVENTS
 Rise & GrindDecember 16th (and every Tuesday) - Rise & Grind @ MAC Social Club, Minneapolis |  Canna ClubDecember 17 (and every Wednesday) - Canna Club Happy Hour has moved to Steady Pour in Minneapolis for the rest of the year. |
 Canna Connect w/ METRCDecember 17 - Holiday Party & Panel @ Steady Pour, Minneapolis |  Oaksterdam UniversityDecember 17 - Jen is teaching a Minnesota Laws & Regulations online for national heavyweight Oaksterdam University. Designed for operators and those who want to be management-level employees in Minnesota, this course will help attendees understand the interplay of federal, state and tribal law to understand how to be and stay compliant in Minnesota. |
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