Minnesota’s new cannabis czar resigns after one day

On September 21, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appointed cannabis business consultant Erin DuPree to lead the Office of Cannabis Management to oversee the state’s emerging adult-use marijuana market. On Sept. 22, DuPree said she would “not move forward” as the state’s new cannabis czar amid allegations that she sold illegal products at her pot shop.

Her appointment would have taken effect on October 2nd.

Walz, a Democrat, introduced a bill that would allow recreational use of cannabis for adults 21 and older. This makes Minnesota the 23rd US state to legalize non-medical marijuana. The bill, signed in May and effective August 1, allows Minnesota residents to own and grow their own marijuana.

According to the Star Tribune, “Loonacy Cannabis Co., which DuPree founded in Apple Valley in July 2022, promoted and sold non-compliant vapes and edible products that contain more THC than is legally allowed, according to social media videos and The store’s online product lists show.” has now been deleted.”

Courtesy of Governor Tim Walz’s office

Just a day earlier, in a statement, Walz defended DuPree as his choice, writing, “She has led multiple aspects of the business and led ongoing research into hemp-derived products and cannabis products, while ensuring compliance with state laws and regulations.” “With direct experience in the hemp and cannabis industry in Minnesota and over 20 years of success in starting, leading and growing companies and organizations, Erin DuPree is an excellent choice to lead the Office of Cannabis Management.”

Before the revelations, DuPree said “it is an honor to join the Walz-Flanagan administration as the first director of the new Office of Cannabis Management,” DuPree said. “I look forward to working closely with all of the legislators, stakeholders and advocates who worked so hard to pass this new law and am committed to ensuring that Minnesota’s new adult-use cannabis industry grows and thrives in the years to come becomes.” “

DuPree said the first goal of her tenure as head of the Office of Cannabis Management is to hire new employees. The office reportedly needs around 150 employees, and several job postings went online early last week.

When asked about the time frame, DuPree hoped Minnesota’s legal cannabis industry would take shape more quickly than in other states, which have taken between two and three years to begin retail operations. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here,” she said. “We are fortunate to be the 23rd state to legalize. We can look back at the other 22 states and see what was good and what wasn’t good and use that to help shape policy here.” The Office of Cannabis Management expects retail sales to reach 2025, with cannabis regulation set for that Adult consumption and lower potency hemp products will begin this fall.

Some cannabis publications expect Minnesota’s market to open will take longer than in states like California, Michigan, Washington, New Jersey and Colorado, where retail began less than 19 months after legalization.

But Minnesotans don’t have to wait to enjoy legal cannabis, as several retail stores have already opened on Native American reservations. The Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota began selling recreational marijuana at its NativeCare store on August 1, the same day statewide legalization went into effect. Demand on the reservation has been so great that the tribe also plans to open a mobile marijuana store in the near future.

Over in the northeastern city of Mahnomen, the White Earth Nation opened an adult store as the first step in a cultivation operation. Finally, the Leech Lake Band of the Ojibwe Tribe’s Economic Council has passed an ordinance allowing the sale and consumption of recreational cannabis on its reservation and is currently planning to open an adult-use retail program.

In case you didn’t know and are wondering why this is all possible, tribal nations across the U.S. are allowed to implement their own retail programs independently of state legislatures. The rest of Minnesota’s 5.7 million residents will have to wait and see what the next cannabis czar will do.