Duluth business owner on track to open first non-tribal cannabis dispensary

It’s been two years since adult-use cannabis was legalized in Minnesota and more dispensaries are finally beginning to open their doors. Tribal sovereignty allowed for tribal nations to open the first dispensaries in the state on reservations. But it’s been a longer road for business owners who are not tribal members.

Lawsuits delayed the cannabis lottery license process from November 2024 to June 2025. As of last week, the Office of Cannabis Management had 3,535 applications across all types of licenses. Just nine have been granted, all under the microbusiness category. A microbusiness can operate a single retail location.

One of those nine businesses is Legacy Cannabis in Duluth. Owner Josh Wilken-Simon hopes to open as soon as next week. It puts him on track to be the first non-tribal dispensary in the state.

“It's just a couple final dotting i's crossing the t's,” Wilken-Simon told Minnesota Now guest host Chris Farrell.

Wilken-Simon was able to quickly get clearance from the state and city of Duluth to operate. White Earth Nation will be the stores first cannabis supplier and Wilken-Simon says clearing some regulations with them is the final step to getting flower in the store.

“And so they're just making sure on their end that everything is perfectly regulated… and then they're able to send that delivery to us, hopefully early next week.”

Wilken-Simon has been in the cannabis business for 15 years, selling locally made pipes and low-potency edibles.

“As soon as we're able to flip this switch to full adult use, next week here, we'll be able to actually have cannabis flower, you know that you can buy and roll up and smoke, we'll be able to have pre-rolls, and we'll be able to have cartridges vaporizers as the very first products.”

Legacy Cannabis’ storefront is in Duluth’s new Lincoln Park craft district.

Not all dispensary hopefuls have been as lucky. Three of the nine approved microbusiness licenses went to business owners in Albert Lea. But earlier this week, the city council voted 4-3 to reject the business “The Smoking Tree” from registering in the city, even though the owner obtained a state license.