Minnesota cannabis retailers reported $250 million in sales in the year since non-tribal adult-use marijuana sales began, state officials said Tuesday.
Medical cannabis sales remained strong, with $100 million in MMJ sales compared to $150 million in adult-use cannabis sales across 1.2 million combined transactions, according to the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management.
More than 90,000 patients are registered with Minnesota’s medical cannabis program – a figure that’s more than doubled since the state Legislature eliminated patient fees in 2023 and expanded qualifying conditions in 2024.
Have Minnesota cannabis sales recovered from a slow start?
The numbers come after a slow and challenging start hampered by a lack of licensed cultivation space that left many retailers with bare shelves in 2025.
Minnesota legalized recreational cannabis use in 2023, but the state was slow to issue licenses, with regulators awarding the first cultivation permit in June 2025.
In a statement, OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel said he is “more enthusiastic than ever about how Minnesota’s cannabis market is taking shape.”
“Doing something right takes time, and we are building a market that is sustainable and supports the opportunity for success for businesses all along the supply chain,” he added.
How do cannabis licenses stack up in Minnesota?
Non-tribal adult-use cannabis sales began last year at the state’s two existing licensed medical cannabis operators: Green Goods, operated by marijuana multistate operator Vireo Growth, and Rise, a retail chain owned by MSO Green Thumb Industries.
But in the year since, “more than 300 new cannabis businesses have launched,” Taubel said.
And marijuana social-equity operators are front and center.
Social equity applicants hold 43% of Minnesota’s 369 licensed cannabis businesses, OCM said.
Verified social equity businesses received 86% of cultivation, manufacturing, retail and mezzobusiness licenses, according to OCM.
OCM has also propped up small cannabis operators with state funding, awarding more than $1.5 million in grands, the agency said.
“The Minnesota Legislature recognized that cannabis legalization presents an opportunity to invest in people, to strengthen communities and build long-term economic mobility for those disproportionately impacted by prohibition,” Jess Jackson, OCM’s director of community and economic development, said in a statement.
“Our success in this work won’t be measured in license numbers – we want to see legalization create opportunity that lasts for generations.”
What cannabis products are popular in Minnesota?
Cannabis flower was the top-selling product type, followed by concentrates, pre-rolls and edibles.
Median flower prices split sharply between adult-use and medical cannabis: Adult-use flower sold for $13.54 per gram, while medical flower ran at $9.17 per gram.
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On the supply side, there are now 102 license holders with permits that allow for cultivation growing 486,720 plants, OCM said Tuesday.
That’s a a 575% increase since last year’s supply crunch, when only 11 operators were growing 72,083 plants, OCM said.
Small operators dominate cultivation.
Nearly three-quarters of license holders are microbusinesses, the state’s smallest license category.
This suggests “that it is individuals owning small and craft businesses who form the foundation of cannabis cultivation in Minnesota,” OCM said in its statement.
