Rochester, MN Area’s First Cannabis Dispensary Could be in Byron

The state of Minnesota still seems to be working out some kinks in regard to the process of legal cannabis in the state. The latest development is that the state is now accepting applications for licenses to sell cannabis in Minnesota.

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The application opened yesterday, February 18th, and it closes on March 14th. From there, the state will decide which applicants will be awarded the opportunity to purchase a license to sell cannabis.

As of right now, the only places that are legally allowed to sell cannabis not as an edible are in tribal nations. The closest one to Rochester at the moment is Island Pezi in Red Wing.

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In the Rochester area, though, our first cannabis dispensary may open next door in Byron.

Byron, MN Applying for a Cannabis Dispensary License

The City of Byron announced last night that they are submitting an application for a license to open a municipal dispensary.

The city wrote, "the Byron Economic Development Authority voted unanimously for the city to apply for a municipal cannabis license." Now, they will take the steps to fill out the application.

They also mentioned that a feasibility study from Delaney Consulting was done which helped the BEDA to decide to continue with the application process.

The city writes:

Minnesota is the only state that allows municipal dispensaries, and these businesses are a good source of revenue, the group agreed, which would give the city of Byron another source of income to lighten the load of Byron property taxpayers.

It will likely be late spring when the applications have all been reviewed by the state. That's when the City of Byron will learn if they have received a license or not. After that, they would have a year to open up a dispensary if they still choose to do so.