A budding business in southern Minnesota is on track for a legal cannabis market milestone: opening the first retail non-tribally owned dispensary off of tribal land.
Jacob Schlichter, owner of The Smoking Tree in Albert Lea, Minnesota, said his business passed a state inspection, which is a key hurdle in order to secure the official license to operate after he received preliminary approval earlier this year from the Office of Cannabis Management to move forward.
That means he could open as soon as the coming weeks when he receives the license. Other businesses learned if they got the initial green light during a lottery for capped license types last month.
"I'll just say our favorite quote in the cannabis industry, which is 'Hurry up and wait.' So that kind of sums it up. We're just waiting for the ability to pay a licensing fee," said Schlichter, who said the process for him to open a store is years in the making. "I'm just super grateful just to be here."
Nearly 900 cannabis operators have received initial approval from regulators and official licensing hinges on some additional steps, like inspection, passing a criminal background check and securing a space approved by local governments.
Then, they must pay fees that range from $500 to $20,000.
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