Minnesota Update: Salary For Prospective Cannabis Czar, First Municipally-Run Weed Store, Pot Goes Missing At Tribal Shop

As Minnesota cannabis regulators work to set up the infrastructure to run the legal cannabis marketplace in anticipation of the program's launch in 2025, the City Council of Osseo – a suburb of Minneapolis – is weighing on the possibility of opening the state's first municipally-run marijuana retailer, reported Marijuana Moment.

The move would allow more local oversight of the store’s aesthetics, ambiance and procedures, councilmember Mark Schulz pointed out in a recent interview.

It is "a viable option for the community to be able to have a hands-on, hard stake in how it operates in their community," Schulz said.

Under the state's recreational cannabis legalization law that took effect last summer, municipalities cannot ban marijuana businesses but rather set a limit on the number of cannabis shops to meet the demand for one cannabis store for every 12,500 residents.

According to last month's report, Osseo city officials are waiting on the state's Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to hire a new director and expedite the cannabis licensing process.

"The City will want to be ready the moment OCM allows for license applications," as per the report. "While we are hopeful that the OCM will allow for municipal cannabis dispensaries, that is not yet a given."

New Salary For The Marijuana Czar

The newly appointed director would be receiving a higher salary compared to what the state was ready to pay Erin DuPree, the first executive director Gov. Tim Walz hired in September.

DuPree, who resigned a day after she was named following allegations she sold illegal cannabis through her company, was slated to earn between $105,000 to $150,000 annually.

The pay range for the position is now between $133,000 and $190,000, reported MPR News.

"Our thinking is that by bumping up that compensation and bringing it more into line, we're going to hopefully attract a pool of candidates who are qualified and ready to do this challenging work," said interim director Charlene Briner on Monday. The deadline for job application is Feb. 26.

Cannabis Theft Incident

Meanwhile, members of the Red Lake Nation were the first to launch legal recreational cannabis sales in Minnesota in August when opened a medical marijuana dispensary at the NativeCare Dispensary.

Some six months after the launch, the tribal council said it would step away from the day-to-day operations at NativeCare after an internal theft incident, reported CBS News.

As per the council’s statement, a worker at the dispensary’s grow facility accused a member of the tribal council of removing a considerable quantity of “trim,” which was kept in garbage bags within the facility.

According to the council, the report revealed that a business partner of NativeCare collected the trim to transform the typically discarded material into enhanced products, such as vape cartridges.

However, after examining the report, the employee who had made the accusation admitted to never witnessing the tribal council member in question removing the trim.

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