Cannabis in Minneapolis

Last verified: April 2026

Frey’s Permissive Posture

Minneapolis acted with more deliberate speed on cannabis than almost any city in the Upper Midwest. Mayor Jacob Frey, a longtime legalization advocate now serving his third term, declared on legalization day that the city would take a "permissive" approach, welcoming "a wide array" of local small businesses. His administration established a multi-departmental cannabis work group in May 2023 — before the law even took effect — to develop the city’s regulatory framework.

The October 2024 Vote

The Minneapolis City Council passed its cannabis zoning ordinance on October 31, 2024, by a 12–1 vote. Co-authored by Council Members Jamal Osman (Ward 6) and Aurin Chowdhury (Ward 12), the ordinance (amending Title 20, Chapter 545 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances):

• Allows cannabis dispensaries in commercial and production zoning districts
• Imposes a 300-foot buffer from K-12 schools — the minimum permitted under state law
• A key amendment by Chowdhury removed the originally proposed 350-foot buffer between dispensaries, deliberately encouraging competition and lowering barriers for small operators

The lone dissenting vote came from Council Member Linea Palmisano (Ward 13), who advocated for more cautious zoning. Mayor Frey signed the ordinance on November 5, 2024.

The 3-Acre Requirement

Minneapolis notably requires a 3-acre contiguous commercial or industrial area for dispensary siting, mirroring how the city regulates liquor stores. This effectively channels dispensaries toward major commercial corridors:

• Hennepin Avenue through Uptown
• Central Avenue in Northeast
• North Loop / Warehouse District
• Lake Street
• Chicago Avenue

...rather than smaller neighborhood commercial nodes. The city imposed no cap on dispensary licenses beyond the state-mandated minimum of one per 12,500 residents, which translates to at least 34 dispensaries for Minneapolis’s population of roughly 430,000.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, elected in November 2022 as the first openly LGBTQ person to hold the office, brings a prosecutorial philosophy shaped by her previous role as Chief Public Defender. In that capacity, her office exposed severe racial inequities in low-level marijuana stings in 2018, revealing that 46 Black men had been arrested in a single Hennepin County operation targeting small cannabis amounts.

The resulting outcry led her predecessor, Mike Freeman, to implement a no-prosecution policy for possession and sale under 100 grams and to end sting operations entirely. Moriarty has continued and strengthened that approach.

The Minneapolis Police Department & Cannabis Reform

The Minneapolis Police Department operates under dual consent decrees — one with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (2023) and one with the U.S. Department of Justice (approved January 2025) — that have direct cannabis implications.

Under the state settlement:

• Officers can no longer search a person or vehicle solely because they smell marijuana.
• Officers cannot make pretextual traffic stops.

Police Chief Brian O’Hara has publicly committed to these reforms, and by mid-2025 an independent evaluator found Minneapolis had made "more progress toward building a foundation for sustainable reform in the first year of monitoring than nearly any other jurisdiction."

Operating Minneapolis Dispensaries (April 2026)

Operating dispensaries in Minneapolis as of April 2026 include:

• Green Goods at 207 S. 9th Street (downtown) — made the state’s first non-tribal adult-use sale on September 16, 2025
• MN Loon Dispensary at 2800 Lyndale Avenue South (Uptown / Tangletown area) — a social equity lottery winner
• Sweetleaves in the North Loop
• Budtales at 33 S. 6th Street downtown
• Plus others

Weedmaps listed approximately 39 cannabis-related retail locations in Minneapolis by early 2026, though this figure includes lower-potency hemp edible retailers alongside full-service dispensaries.

No Moratorium

Minneapolis did not impose a moratorium at any point, distinguishing it from dozens of suburban communities that paused cannabis business development through January 1, 2025. This positioning — combined with the city’s regulatory clarity — helped Minneapolis become a first-mover among Twin Cities municipalities.

Where to Buy in Minneapolis

The city’s 3-acre requirement channels dispensaries to specific commercial corridors. Convenient destinations:

• Downtown (Green Goods 207 S. 9th, Budtales 33 S. 6th)
• Uptown / South Lyndale (MN Loon Dispensary)
• North Loop / Warehouse District (Sweetleaves)
• Central Avenue NE (multiple operators)
• Lake Street and Chicago Avenue corridors (additional operators opening)

For up-to-the-minute open dispensary lists, check mn.gov/ocm.

Related on this site: Anoka Dispensary, Bloomington Dispensary & Mall of..., Woodbury & Stillwater Dispensary.