Judge orders Minnesota to delay marijuana license lottery

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (FOX 9) – A judge orders Minnesota to halt trial marijuana undergraduate lottery Cases filed by applicants People who are denied the opportunity to receive early license approval.

What do we know?

At a hearing Monday, the day before the lottery was to take place, a judge ordered the Minnesota Office of Marijuana Management to pause the process.

The decision comes at a time when rejected applicants are questioning the state’s decisions. One lawsuit alleged that the Office of Cannabis Management failed to properly notify them of the rejection.

Applicants also claim that the state acted hastily regarding the lottery, initially hinting to applicants that the draw would be held in December, then announcing it would be held on Tuesday last week.

Context

Last week, the Office of Cannabis Management Approximately 640 applications were announced Approval was given to participate in the lottery for 280 licenses. In total, more than 1,800 applicants applied for their chance at the lottery.

FOX 9 spoke with rejected applicants who felt they were unfairly rejected. In a statement, Charlene Briner, interim director of the Office of Marijuana Management, said: “The review process also revealed numerous applications that are inconsistent with protections in the law designed to prevent predatory practices, ‘zone flooding,’ and other attempts to tamper with marijuana.” System to gain unfair or illegal advantage.”

Four lawsuits regarding the denials were filed in the following days, which were ultimately consolidated into a single lawsuit.

Background

The State of Minnesota legalized marijuana in August 2023. The law initially legalized marijuana possession in Minnesota and established the Office of Marijuana Management, which was charged with developing the business licensing framework.

As part of their licensing process, the state allowed license pre-approval for “social equity applicants” (individuals with past marijuana convictions and their relatives, individuals from disadvantaged communities, and/or military veterans).

Applications for general business licenses are expected to begin in 2025.

Currently, marijuana sales in Minnesota are only allowed on tribal lands.

What’s next?

As part of his ruling, the judge sent the case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. It’s unclear how long this could delay the lottery.