Cannabis in St. Paul

Last verified: April 2026

The Quieter Twin Moved First

St. Paul has historically been perceived as the quieter, more conservative twin, but on cannabis policy it actually moved first. The St. Paul City Council unanimously approved its cannabis zoning ordinance (Ord 24-21) on September 18, 2024 — six weeks before Minneapolis acted. Mayor Melvin Carter signed it on September 24, calling the amendments "a critical step forward toward establishing a vibrant and responsible cannabis industry."

Mayor Carter to Mayor Her

Carter, St. Paul’s first African American mayor, served from 2018 through 2025 and was a consistent legalization supporter. He lost his re-election bid in November 2025 to Kaohly Her, who was sworn in on January 2, 2026, becoming St. Paul’s first woman and first Hmong American mayor. A former state representative, Her ran on a platform of economic vitality, public safety, and affordable housing. Her business-friendly orientation suggests continuity with Carter’s permissive cannabis framework, though she has not made cannabis policy a prominent public priority.

The Distinctive Zoning Approach

St. Paul’s zoning approach differs from Minneapolis in several revealing ways:

• The city adopted the same 300-foot school buffer as Minneapolis but went further by exempting downtown St. Paul entirely from the buffer requirement — a deliberate move to revitalize a struggling downtown commercial district.
• Analysis by St. Paul planning staff found that a 1,000-foot buffer (the state maximum) would have rendered 63% of retail-eligible parcels off-limits, versus only 10% with the 300-foot standard.
• Unlike Minneapolis, St. Paul imposed no contiguous acreage requirement, opening the door for dispensaries in smaller commercial nodes across neighborhoods.

Likely commercial nodes for St. Paul dispensaries:

• Lowertown
• Summit-University (along the Selby Avenue corridor)
• Highland Park (RISE 2239 Ford Parkway anchored)
• Como
• Macalester-Groveland (Grand Avenue and Snelling Avenue)

Operational Requirements Minneapolis Omitted

St. Paul’s ordinance includes operational requirements that Minneapolis omitted:

• 24/7 video surveillance of all sales areas, entries, and exits
• A mandate that cannabis shop entrances be separate from any tobacco shop entrance

Council President Mitra Jalali described the framework as "responsible, but permissive," while Council Member Nelsie Yang (Ward 6) emphasized forward momentum.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, in office since 2011 and the first Korean American chief prosecutor in the United States, implemented a no-charge policy for low-level marijuana cases that mirrors Hennepin County’s approach, requiring a "very compelling public safety reason" to file charges.

Choi is nationally recognized for prosecuting St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez in the 2016 killing of Philando Castile and has championed reforms including collaboration with police agencies to end non-public-safety traffic stops through the "Lights On!" program.

RISE Highland Park — St. Paul’s Anchor

The RISE dispensary at 2239 Ford Parkway in Highland Park is St. Paul’s anchor cannabis retailer, having launched adult-use sales in late September 2025. State law requires St. Paul to permit at least 24 cannabis businesses based on its population, and the city’s permissive zoning creates ample opportunity for growth across its commercial districts.

NativeCare in West St. Paul

Red Lake Nation’s NativeCare opened at 2067 South Robert Street in West St. Paul on March 20, 2026 — bringing tribal cannabis directly into the metro. The storefront features a mural by Red Lake member and indigenous designer Lucie Skjefte. Note: West St. Paul is a separate Dakota County city, not part of St. Paul proper, but functions as part of the metro retail landscape. See our Red Lake / NativeCare page.

The Cross-River Dynamic

The cross-river dynamic between St. Paul and Minneapolis is more collaborative than competitive. Both adopted the minimum 300-foot school buffer, neither imposed moratoriums, and both county attorneys independently arrived at progressive non-prosecution stances. Cannabis advocate Leili Fatehi, who helped craft HF 100, praised both cities for taking "permissive, business-friendly approaches."

The key structural difference — Minneapolis’s 3-acre requirement versus St. Paul’s open zoning — may ultimately push more small-format dispensaries toward St. Paul’s neighborhood commercial corridors.

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