Dispensaries for recreational cannabis in Minnesota are expected to start opening primarily in 2026, with the best-case scenario for statewide dispensary openings being late spring to early summer 2026. This timeline is due to the slow progress in approving rules and issuing licenses, as well as the time required to build out facilities and start cultivation operations. State lawmakers and cannabis business consultants note that it takes about nine to twelve months for cannabis businesses to become fully operational and distribute products statewide. However, some dispensaries owned by Indigenous tribes are already operating off reservations, including locations in Mahnomen, Moorhead, and St. Cloud. The White Earth Nation opened its second off-reservation dispensary in St. Cloud as of July 2, 2025, and the recreational market is slowly expanding in this way. For non-tribal dispensaries, licenses began being issued starting mid-2025 following the state Office of Cannabis Management's licensing lotteries, and the first wave of non-tribal retailers could open by late summer 2025, although limited supply and city restrictions pose challenges. In summary:
- Some tribal dispensaries are open now in 2025.
- Non-tribal dispensaries could start opening as early as late summer 2025.
- Broad statewide availability of recreational dispensaries is more realistically expected by late spring to early summer 2026.
