State Cannabis Rules Approved Despite MMA’s Concerns

April 10, 2025

The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced this week that an administrative law judge (ALJ) has approved draft rules governing Minnesota's adult-use cannabis market.  

The rules, which the ALJ approved without changes, will be published in the State Register, and go into effect later this month. This milestone sets up the final step in launching Minnesota’s cannabis market, allowing OCM to begin issuing business licenses to applicants who have completed all necessary steps in the application process.  

Throughout this rule-making process, the MMA has expressed concerns about potential effects on the health, safety, and welfare of Minnesotans. These concerns went unheeded. 

The MMA requested: 

• Appropriate health warning labels must be included on all cannabis products. 

• Cannabis products must be stored in child-resistant packaging or containers; and must be stored out of children’s reach or in locked locations. 

• The medical cannabis consultant, who will advise consumers on cannabis products, must be a medical professional. If the medical cannabis consultant is not a medical professional, they must only be able to provide advice on dosage, advice on the best type of cannabis product for a particular condition, etc., in consultation with a pharmacist. 

Rulemaking is a multistep process involving substantial public input, where state offices propose detailed rules to implement Minnesota Statutes. In drafting the rules, OCM conducted a series of surveys that focused on specific rulemaking topics and held meetings with partners and interested parties, including cannabis management offices from other states.  

OCM shared a preliminary draft of the proposed rules with the public, seeking feedback during the summer of 2024. After incorporating changes based on that feedback, OCM posted its formal draft for public comment for 30 days from January 13 to February 12. After incorporating additional changes based on public comments, OCM submitted the final draft rules to an ALJ with the Office of Administrative Hearings on March 25. The ALJ approved the rules without changes on April 2. Now approved, the final rules must be published in the State Register for them to take effect.   

The final approved rules are available on OCM’s Rulemaking webpage.