Cannabis Rules in Anoka, Minnesota: The City-Owned Dispensary and Where Adults Can Buy

Anoka now owns and runs its own cannabis store. That's new in Minnesota — no other city had opened a municipally owned cannabis dispensary before Anoka Cannabis Company did in February 2026. The ownership structure doesn't change the rules that apply at checkout. But it does change the local landscape: how many stores can open, who can compete for a registration, and what a business has to do to sell cannabis in the city at all. Here's how Anoka's registration cap works under state law, what it takes to register a retailer there, and where adults 21 and older can buy cannabis in and around Anoka today.

What Makes Anoka Cannabis Company Different

A city-owned dispensary, not a private retailer

Anoka Cannabis Company opened for walk-in business on February 7, 2026, a day after its ribbon-cutting. The address is 839 East River Road — right next to the city's own municipal liquor store — in a 3,000-square-foot space. Opening weekend ran by pre-order reservation before the store moved to standard walk-in service. It's the first city-owned cannabis dispensary in Minnesota, and right now it's the only municipally operated one running anywhere in the U.S.

Anoka already ran municipal liquor stores and a seasonal social district, so a public retail counter wasn't new territory for the city. Mayor Erik Skogquist framed the goal as helping residents "want safe, vibrant and well-maintained communities while keeping taxes as low as practicable." Enterprise operations director Kevin Morelli was more specific about where the money goes: "All the money that the city will make can go to parks, river projects, social district expenses, possibly even reducing the levy."

Why a city can run a store but can't lock out competitors

Unlike its liquor stores, Anoka can't hold a legal retail monopoly on cannabis. Private retailers can still register and open here once they clear approval from Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management. The Fox 9 report on the opening noted twelve other municipal cannabis applications were pending statewide when Anoka's store opened. Want the bigger picture — how Minnesota got from a 2023 legalization law to a city running its own dispensary? Minnesota's cannabis law timeline walks through it year by year.

How Anoka Caps Private Cannabis Retail Registration

The two-registration cap and the February 2025 selection policy

Right now, the City of Anoka allows two private cannabis business registrations. Only cannabis retail businesses are eligible to register under the city's current rules — nothing else qualifies. On February 3, 2025, the Anoka City Council approved a Multiple Cannabis Applicant Policy that spells out how the city selects one registration when more than one applicant competes for the remaining slot.

The statutory floor behind the cap

That cap doesn't exist in a vacuum. Under Minn. Stat. 342.13, subdivision (h), a local government that issues cannabis retailer registrations may limit how many it allows — but only down to a floor: no fewer than one registration for every 12,500 residents. State law sets the minimum number of registrations a city has to permit; the city's own ordinance decides the exact cap above that floor. Anoka's is two private registrations, plus its own store.

The same statute lets local governments restrict how close a cannabis business can sit to certain places: up to 1,000 feet from a school, and up to 500 feet from a day care, a residential treatment facility, or a park attraction regularly used by minors, like a playground or athletic field. That's the outer limit state law allows a city to set. If you're evaluating a specific address in Anoka, confirm the city's actual adopted distance with Anoka Community Development rather than assuming it matches the statutory maximum.

What It Takes to Register a Cannabis Retailer in Anoka

Registering a cannabis retail business in Anoka is a two-step process, and the order matters:

• Get licensed or pre-approved by Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management first. The city won't register a business that hasn't cleared this step.
• Apply for local registration with the City of Anoka, pay the $500 initial registration fee, and confirm the location sits in an approved zoning district — B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, or a designated Main Street area.

Weighing a location rather than shopping for product? Have that conversation directly with Anoka's Community Development office before signing a lease. Don't guess from a zoning map.

Where Adults 21+ Can Buy Cannabis In and Around Anoka Today

Anoka Cannabis Company is the city-owned option, open to any adult 21 or older with valid ID — the same age requirement that applies at every registered cannabis retailer in Minnesota. Comparing options across the county rather than just in Anoka proper? Anoka County's Highway 65 corridor covers the registration and zoning picture for nearby East Bethel.

First time walking into any Minnesota dispensary, city-owned or not? It helps to know what actually happens on your first visit before you go: ID checks, payment, how the counter process works. And whichever store you end up at, Minnesota's testing and labeling rules apply the same way everywhere. Worth knowing how to read the label on whatever you bring home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Anoka Cannabis Company the only place to buy cannabis in Anoka?

No. Anoka's ordinance allows up to two privately registered cannabis retailers in addition to the city-owned store, and the city cannot hold a legal monopoly on cannabis retail the way it does with its municipal liquor stores. A private registration remains open and is awarded through the city's February 3, 2025 selection policy when more than one applicant competes for it.

Do you have to be 21 to shop at Anoka Cannabis Company?

Yes. Minnesota's adult-use cannabis law limits purchase and possession to adults 21 and older, and that rule applies at every registered retailer in the state, city-owned or private.

How does a business register to sell cannabis in Anoka?

A retailer must first get a state license or pre-approval from Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management, then apply for local registration with the City of Anoka, pay the $500 registration fee, and operate in an approved zoning district such as B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, or a designated Main Street area.

The Takeaway

Anoka's city-owned dispensary is a new model for Minnesota. It doesn't change the rules that govern who can buy, how stores register, or how many retailers a city has to allow — those come from state law, with Anoka's own ordinance filling in the specifics above the statutory floor. More municipal applications are working their way through the Office of Cannabis Management, so the number of city-run stores will likely grow. The registration cap and setback rules are the thing worth watching as that happens.

For adults 21 and older only. Cannabis products have not been analyzed or approved by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Keep out of reach of children. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery after use. This article is general information about products sold in Minnesota, not medical advice; talk to a licensed clinician about your health.