Cannacurio #122: The Land of a Hundred Licenses

Minnesota issued its first adult-use license back in June 2025 to much fanfare. They even shared the license image in a press release. Industry observers have been watching the issuance of new licenses there, as it is a large state that is willing to issue a significant number of licenses. To gauge the progress of this newest industry favorite, we wanted to compare it to the East Coast's all-time favorite, New York.

The following table distills the many similarities between these two states:

Story

Both states had early medical programs characterized by very limited licensing and an MSO presence. Minnesota approved a measure in 2014 that was signed by the governor. The program was operational in July 2015 and required only two manufacturers to be licensed: Leafline Labs and Minnesota Medical Solutions were selected. Adult use was finally approved in 2023 and licenses were issued in 2025. An interesting footnote is that two MMN employees transported 12 pounds of distillate from Minnesota to its New York subsidiary to help that subsidiary meet a production quota. A whistleblower reported them.

The New York program also launched early in 2015, launching with five “registered organizations”: Bloomfield Industries, ColumbiaCare NY, Empire State Health Solutions, Etain and PharmaCann. Empire was owned by Minnesota MedicalSolutions. Five more organizations were added in 2017. New York legalized adult use in 2021 and the first licenses were issued in November 2022.

Comparisons

Looking at the first seven months of each program, New York got off to a quicker start than Minnesota, awarding 300 to Minnesota's 124. The first licenses in New York were for hemp growers who had permission to grow cannabis to ensure supplies. These “conditional” licenses were followed by conditional manufacturer and retail licenses later in the year.

Minnesota's issuance relied heavily on microbusiness licenses, which allowed operators to engage in many activities. These accounted for nearly 70% of licenses issued in the first seven months, with conversions to medical professions accounting for 15%.

Minnesota and New York have structured their cannabis regulatory frameworks based on several shared policy pillars, most notably a commitment to social justice. In both states, regulators have integrated equity goals directly into market design to increase participation among individuals and communities that have been disproportionately affected by previous cannabis enforcements. Each state uses defined eligibility criteria, application preferences and technical assistance to reduce barriers to entry and promote a more diverse licensee base in cultivation, processing and retail sectors.

Both states have also linked these equity goals to active state participation in market financing and a unified regulatory approach. New York established a state-sponsored social equity investment fund to finance the development of licensed adult-use dispensaries, while Minnesota launched state-administered loan and grant programs to support qualified cannabis businesses with seed and working capital. In parallel, both states have transferred oversight of adult-use cannabis, medical cannabis and hemp-derived products to a single cannabis regulatory agency, allowing for consistent standards for licensing, testing, product safety and enforcement in both the THC cannabis and federally compliant hemp markets.

author

Ed Keating is co-founder of Cannabiz Media, where he led data research and government relations initiatives that provide the company with insight into the cannabis economy. Ed has rooted his career in compliance-focused information services and has led product, marketing and sales for multi-jurisdictional platforms in securities, corporate, UCC, security, environmental and human resources. He is currently Head of Analytics at Emerald Intel.

Ed leads efforts to engage with regulators worldwide by collecting and analyzing corporate, financial and licensing data to reflect the evolving cannabis landscape. He is the author of the Cannacurio blog and host of the Cannacurio podcast, where he examines market trends, regulatory developments and the stories behind the data. As a frequent speaker at industry conferences, Ed brings clarity and context to the complex dynamics of the cannabis market. He holds a degree from Hamilton College and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Emerald Intel customers can stay up to date on these and other new licenses through our newsletters, alerts and reporting modules. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive these weekly reports straight to your inbox. Or you can schedule a demo to get more information about how you can access Emerald Intel products yourself and dive deeper into this data.

Cannacurio is an episodic column from Cannabiz Media, powered by Emerald Intel, featuring insights from the most comprehensive licensing data platform. Check out Cannacurio posts and podcasts for the latest updates and information.

‍

‍

‍