St. Paul seeks cannabis manager to help new businesses

Aspiring entrepreneurs say opening a recreational cannabis business in Minnesota has not been easy as they struggle to find locations and comply with local regulations.

St. Paul hopes to change that by adding a cannabis oversight job to the city’s payroll in 2026. That staff member will help businesses register, find properly zoned locations and stay within the bounds of local laws.

The city of Minneapolis already has a similar staff position, and people within the cannabis industry say it may be helpful to have a designated local contact. The rules of the budding industry are still evolving, and businesses have sometimes run afoul of city zoning when looking for places to rent.

Taylor Schertler works with many local Minnesota governments as project manager of the hemp and cannabis programs at St. Paul’s Legend Technical Services, one of two active cannabis testing facilities in Minnesota. He called the cities’ efforts to support and guide hemp and cannabis markets “quite heartening.”

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Other businesses are less sure that the position will clear up questions or delays.

Alex Skym, owner of DNA Dispensary in St. Paul’s Macalester-Groveland neighborhood, said he worries the position will be “pointless” and could duplicate or muddle regulatory work that the state already does.

In the two years Skym worked to open his business, he said he only spoke directly with the city of St. Paul twice to help with a zoning issue.

Eric Taubel, executive director of the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, said cities are still figuring out how they can best oversee the cannabis industry.

“There’s no gold standard blueprint for how you create a legal cannabis market in every state,” he said.

St. Paul is hoping to fill the position internally, said Casey Rodriguez, spokesperson for the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections. The job will pay between $73,000 and $102,000 annually and the money will come from cannabis businesses’ registration fees.

Ben Koppel, the Minneapolis cannabis business services specialist, said he fields questions from about 30 people every week.

Such city cannabis jobs, however, can be few and far between.

Carol Moss, an attorney representing cannabis businesses for Hellmuth & Johnson in Minneapolis, said the positions are limited due to the lack of money local governments get from cannabis taxes.

Cities lost their 20% stake of the state sales tax on cannabis and hemp products in June. The loss, Moss said, affects cities’ abilities to oversee the cannabis industry.

“This is an additional burden on local governments,” she said. “They are now obligated to take on these responsibilities, but they’re not getting that additional funding.”

As St. Paul looks for candidates to fill the new city job, Skym said he hopes people are patient, both with cities and dispensaries, as the industry is new for everyone.