RESOURCE CORNER

Minnesota Grants Update 

One of the recipients of the CanStartup funds, Propagate Community Development Corporation, has released a simple website and intake forms. 

If you are a microlicensee, especially a social equity applicant, interested in their favorable loan rates (7%), I encourage you to check it out!  

North Star Accelerator Program 

What an amazing launch party last Wednesday at Earl Giles CannaClub! We had a terrific panel talking about what’s next for Minnesota entrepreneurs, and celebrated the program (and my birthday) with cake. Many thanks for all the well wishes, personal and professional!

And, we announced that we are accepting applications for the next cohort of accelerator members!

If you are a building a licensed adult-use business in Minnesota, check out the accelerator for regulatory guidance, community support, and recommendations and referrals that will save you tons of time and money. We’re a group of small entrepreneurs working together to support one another in building compliant and successful businesses.

But don’t snooze on this - the cohort closes October 3!

Education opportunities from Oaksterdam

My educational partners at Oaksterdam University will host three amazing live training programs starting mid-September that may interest you as you prepare to roll out your business, train your staff, and build your business plans. The first two courses listed below will have the option to join a live Minnesota Laws and Regulations course, which I am working on with Oaksterdam and will teach live. This is a great opportunity to not only network with national experts but also drill down on your goals here in Minnesota with me.

These programs combine real-time Zoom classes with nationally recognized experts with updated, interactive, on-demand, self-paced content and videos on OU's new, upgraded learning platform.

• Budtending & Retail Operations Certification starts September 24. It is perfect for training retail workers to comply with laws and regulations, understand the basics of cannabis cultivars and science, and make product recommendations without dispensing unqualified medical advice. This live program runs for seven weeks, and students have access to online learning materials through December 15.

• Business Management Certification starts September 24 and informs managers, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers about the nuanced aspects of managing any type of state-licensed cannabis business. This live program runs for ten weeks, and students have access to online learning materials through December 15.

• The NEW Cannabis Breeding Certification with James Loud, which starts September 18, is an advanced program that can train horticultural workers and managers seeking to run an in-house breeding program or DIY hobbyists. This live program runs for six weeks, and students have access to online learning materials through December 15.

These classes start soon. Enroll now to save your seat and take 10% off with the coupon code NORTHSTAR10

Minnesota Cannabis College

Workforce training is coming from the Minnesota Cannabis College, who also just received grant money from MN! Sign up here to get updates 

Hemp-Derived THC Corner

The license application window for lower-potency hemp edible retailers, manufacturers, and wholesalers will be open Oct. 1 - Oct. 31. In other words: if you want to continue to manufacture or sell hemp-derived THC products, you MUST apply for licensure in October (exception: folks who are in process to switch lanes and be a cannabis retailer, and that’s how you will sell hemp-derived THC products). Changes to labeling rules (no more QR codes?!) will also be painful for manufacturers.

As licensing opens for hemp-derived THC (ahem, low-potency hemp edible (LPHE), we're working on a Hemp-derived THC Corner on North Star Cannabis Consulting's website. 

Next week, we’ll be posting the replay of today’s successful webinar with Elliot Ginsburg there.

And soon, I hope, OCM will be releasing the actual form of license application for LPHE retailers, manufacturers, and wholesalers. Stay tuned!

OTHER CANNABIS NEWS

Around the U.S.

California: After being increased to 19% on July 1st, California’s cannabis excise tax will be reduced back to 15% following a bill with an almost unanimous state senate vote in early September. The bill goes into effect on October 1st and will prevent a tax increase until at least June 2028, reports Cultivated.

Jen's take: California reversed course on their cannabis tax. Minnesota should too!

New York: Attendees at New York's Revelry in NYC event last weekend report, "The energy in New York’s cannabis industry was palpable, in the packed room, the product selection (and, selfishly, sampling), and the general excitement about what’s now an over $2 billion market."

That's right - after many delays, New York's market is finally roaring along. Read Cultivated's full piece for interesting analysis of the canopy being used, sales per store and geography, and more.

Texas: Greg Abbott will raise the age to purchase hemp-derived THC to 21 via executive order, after multiple failed attempts to ban hemp-derived THC in Texas (including 2 special sessions!) Other coming changes include testing, labeling, and potency limitations.

Jen's take: Minnesota hemp-derived THC manufacturers will be watching those rules closely in an attempt to create packaging and formulations compliant with MN's new rules and the growing complexity of so many different state rules. Texas is a huge market and I’m so glad to see them choose to regulate rather than ban these products.

Delaware: The adult-use cannabis market generated over $7.35 million in retail sales during its first month; Governor Matt Meyer vetoed a bill to ease local zoning regulations for cannabis businesses, reports the Pre Roll.

Federal

More than three dozen Democratic members of Congress, led by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), reintroduced the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act in an effort to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level, reports the Pre Roll. The sweeping federal cannabis reform bill was first brought about in 2019. It has passed in the House on two prior occasions, but has never advanced to a vote on the Senate floor.

Republican rejection. A group of Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to reject the “corrupt and flawed” recommendation to reschedule cannabis. The letter was written by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), along with eight others in the GOP including Andy Harris (MD-01), Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Chip Roy (TX-21), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Blake Moore (UT-01), Gary Palmer (AL-06), David Rouzer (NC-07), and Mary Miller (IL-15).

This comes only a few short weeks after President Trump said his administration is considering reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III.

The Trump administration is cracking down on Chinese / grey-market vapes. Delta Emerald's newsletter notes, "Only 39 e-cigarette products are authorized vs. thousands of unauthorized vape SKUs in the market. The enforcement is working; according to UBS research, August 2025 vape-related shipments to the U.S. fell -57%, driven by a -73% drop from China. Demand is now spilling to regulated formats (including back into combustibles)."

UPCOMING EVENTS

MOCHI MOMENT

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What Else I’m Reading:

Big Desk Energy (newsletter)

The Once and Future Witches, by Alix Harrow

Fall (or, Dodge in Hell), by Neal Stephenson

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