ROCHESTER - New cannabis businesses are on hold here — for now.
Rochester bans new cannabis businesses until 2025
The city joins other communities with moratoriums as they wait for the state to create business regulations.
July 25, 2023 at 4:12PM
The Rochester City Council on Monday unanimously approved a moratorium on cannabis startups until 2025, joining other communities across Minnesota with their own bans as the state grapples with new rules for legalized adult-use cannabis.
"It gives us more time," Council Member Norman Wahl said, echoing public safety concerns among residents who supported the ban.
The moratorium doesn't ban growing marijuana for personal use, despite pushback from some residents who called on Rochester to reject Minnesota's new cannabis laws altogether. Starting Aug. 1, it will be legal to smoke marijuana if you're 21 or older.
Cannabis advocates worried Rochester's moratorium would allow corporate interests to flood the market and cut out local businesses as the newly created state Office of Cannabis Management releases model ordinances for cities to follow. Several pointed out the state could start up cultivator licenses before 2025.
Rochester City Clerk Kelly Geistler said the city could rescind its ban early, but the state needs to set regulations for cannabis businesses before the city can create its own rules.
"I'm nervous about having conversations without these guidelines," she said.
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