Anoka, Minnesota — The City of Anoka is looking for a new cannabis dispensary manager.
Anoka was one of several cities to apply for a municipal cannabis license. The state has yet to issue any licenses, but approvals are on the way.
“We’re hoping to be one of the first ones to open,” said Kevin Morelli, Anoka’s liquor operation manager.
The city already has a municipally owned liquor store and intends to build a new city-owned dispensary adjacent to it, which will be approximately 3,000 square feet.
The cannabis dispensary manager would oversee day-to-day operations. The city advertised the job online on April 14 and will close it on April 25. Morelli stated that they hope to have someone hired on or around May 19.
This is the first time the city has offered this job, so he is unsure how many people will apply.
“It could be one, it could be thirty; I’m not sure what to expect. All we have to do now is take action. This project is moving at full speed, so we just need to get it out there and put this person in place,” Morelli said.
“We’re hoping to break ground on a new building on or around May 12, and we’re hoping to have it ready by December 1, as long as we have our license in our hand, we can get the operation up and running.”
He stated that they are posting the application now because they want the new cannabis dispensary manager to be involved in the process and help them make decisions.
The position will be part-time until September 8, when it will be converted to a full-time job. Morelli stated that the position will be part-time at first due to the lack of staff in the office. They will eventually hire an assistant manager, four retail specialists, a few receptionists, and a security team.
If Anoka’s license is approved, Morelli believes the city-owned cannabis dispensary will not be the only one in the city.
“Under the OCM [Office of Cannabis Management] law we would have to allow for one privately owned one that would be run separate by a separate owner who gets a license from the OCM,” according to Morelli.
Morelli explained that the city will only own and operate one dispensary. He stated that the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management currently allows cities to own and operate only one cannabis dispensary.
He stated that a portion of the profits from the dispensary will be reinvested in the community.
“It could go into parks, it could back to the general fund, whatever the city council elects to do with the money,” he told me. “Just like the liquor operation, the main goal is to just control the sale of the recreational marijuana in the city and number two, to generate revenue from the sales of that.”
Morelli described it as an exciting and challenging venture for the city. He said they expect some setbacks along the way, but they hope to move quickly once they receive approval.