Several Minnesota cannabis retailers will commence adult-use sales Sept. 16 and 17, marking 840 days since Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation to legalize a commercial marketplace for those 21 years and older.
This marks the fourth-longest rollout of an adult-use cannabis program in the U.S.: Vermont took 1,741 days between legalization and launching a commercial retail market, Maine took 1,431 days, and Virginia, which legalized adult-use possession and home grows in April 2021, remains stalled on reenactment legislation to provide a legal framework for businesses.
In Minnesota, those 21 and older have been allowed to possess and home cultivate cannabis for the past two-plus years as the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) continued to work toward standing up a licensed industry to provide statewide access to tested and taxed products.
The OCM’s work became a reality this week.
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 is now dispensing both medical and adult-use cannabis products at all eight of its retail locations throughout the state.
Based in Minneapolis, Vireo began operating in Minnesota’s medical cannabis market in 2014. In addition to Minneapolis, the company also operates dispensaries in Blaine, Bloomington, Burnsville, Duluth, Moorhead, Rochester and Woodbury.
“As a Minnesota company founded with a long-term vision for cannabis, we are proud to begin making our products available to all Minnesotans,” Vireo President Amber Shimpa said in a press release. “We will always remain committed to our medical patients and product portfolio, as we have for over 10 years, and look forward to this new opportunity to serve adult-use customers with the same standard of quality and care.”
Meanwhile, Green Thumb Industries announced that it will begin adult-use sales at 9 a.m. Sept. 17 at five RISE dispensaries in the state, including in Brooklyn Park, Eagan, Mankato, New Hope and Willmar.
A multistate operator, Green Thumb’s footprint includes 20 manufacturing facilities and 108 dispensaries across 14 states. The company is donating a portion of its first-day adult-use profits in Minnesota to nonprofit organizations, including the Balanced Veterans Network and Metro Meals on Wheels.
Green Thumb has served Minnesota’s medical cannabis market since 2021, with a manufacturing facility in Cottage Grove.
“We are excited to celebrate this historic day in Minnesota with the launch of adult-use cannabis sales,” Green Thumb President Anthony Georgiadis said in a press release. “Our team is looking forward to introducing more Minnesotans to our industry-leading brands, including RYTHM, Beboe and Dogwalkers, while continuing to prioritize medical patients with the trusted service they expect from RISE, including exclusive curbside pick-up and priority parking at select locations.”
Green Thumb has three other RISE dispensaries in Minnesota. The company’s store in St. Cloud is expected to begin adult-use sales the week of Oct. 6, while its stores in Baxter and St. Paul will launch adult-use sales “soon” at dates and times to be confirmed.
Minnesota is now the 23rd state in the nation to launch adult-use cannabis sales. The only state left that has legalized adult-use cannabis without launching licensed and regulated dispensary sales is Virginia.
While this week marks the launch of Minnesota’s state-licensed adult-use dispensary sales, those 21 years and older have had access to cannabis through sovereign tribal nations, including the Prairie Island Indian Community, which started its adult-use cannabis operations in June 2024.
In addition, Walz signed a tribal-state cannabis compact in May 2025, allowing the White Earth Nation to operate off-reservation dispensaries throughout the state. The governor signed a second tribal-state cannabis compact with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe earlier this month.
While Minnesota’s existing medical cannabis retailers are the first to market under the state’s adult-use program, the OCM held its first lotteries for social equity applicants and general applicants in early June, including for cultivators, manufacturers and vertically integrated mezzobusinesses (medium). A lottery for social equity retailers also took place in early June, while the OCM held additional lotteries for social equity and general applicant retailers the following month.
“We’re setting a strong foundation for an equitable and safe adult-use cannabis market that will mature over the next few years.” OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel said at the time.
Under the state law signed by Walz in 2023, adults 21 and older can purchase up to 2 ounces of cannabis flower, 8 grams of concentrate or 800 milligrams of THC in edible products at licensed dispensaries.
