(KNSI) – St. Cloud State University is preparing to teach Minnesota’s newest cultivators the tricks of the budding marijuana trade as the deadline to apply for business licenses approaches.
Since the state’s recreational cannabis laws took effect in August 2023, more than 350 people have enrolled in SCSU’s six-month cannabis certificate program. According to the school, they launched a separate nine-week workforce training program last June due to popular demand. The next round of online classes gets underway on March 3rd.
That’s just ahead of the March 14th deadline for most license types from the Office of Cannabis Management. Businesses will not be able to open until rules governing the legal marijuana market are in place. That’s expected within weeks. Licensed businesses must secure agreements with unions, undergo background studies and ensure they’re in compliance with local zoning ordinances. They also must pass a pre-opening inspection by the OCM.
The White Earth Nation’s tribally owned cannabis company, Waabigwan Mashkiki, is just about to open a dispensary in Moorhead in March and another in St. Cloud later this spring.
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