A Minnesota lawmaker and a recreational marijuana business consultant told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that the best-case scenario for opening recreational marijuana dispensaries statewide, other than a few owned by Indigenous tribes, will be late spring or possibly early summer 2026.

Stefan Egan helped write the marijuana law and has consulted businesses in other states that legalized the recreational use of cannabis products.

Egan told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that state lawmakers have not yet approved rules for the program which means the earliest licenses will be issued is sometime in late May or early June.

“I mean, it’s a big mess. Bigger than people realize,” said Egan. “It means operators can’t faithfully invest in their operations, you know, pick up land, facilities, build out their facilities, or buy the equipment they need and then start the cultivation process.”

Sen. Mark Koran (R-North Branch) told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that when you add more time for testing facilities to be approved, it takes nine to 12 months to get an operation up and running and distributing product statewide, which means late spring or early summer for dispensaries to be open.

“That’s when I believe it will likely happen. And, depending on what the lawsuits look like and how they roll those out, that could require them to revamp the entire program. And, I think it will ultimately,” said Koran.

The Office of Cannabis Management, through a spokesperson, said there are no definitive deadlines or target dates for opening dispensaries, and they are encouraged by the fact that there are more than a thousand applicants who qualify and are ready to get started as soon as the legislature passes rules governing the program.