Wabasha Co. Retail Cannabis

Wabasha County Commissioners on Oct. 7 approved Conditional Use Permits for Hunter Kapple and Brandon Van Asten, with conditions, to operate retail cannabis (marijuana) dispensaries in Wabasha.

The County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 2-1 in recommending approval of each application and the County Board voted 4-0 in approving each one.

Cannabis retail businesses are allowed within the traditional Downtown Commercial District pursuant to the City of Wabasha’s delegation agreement withWabasha County, according to the Plainview News.

Wabasha delegated all cannabis and lower-potency hemp edible use registration, regulation, and enforcement authority to Wabasha County, pursuant to Minnesota Statute.

Requirements for a cannabis business include minimum bu­ffer requirements in which cannabis businesses are prohibited.

The buffers include: Within 500 feet from a lot line of a school, a day care,  a residential treatment facility, a public park attraction that is regularly used by minors or within 500 feet of an athletic field.

Possession and cultivation of cannabis became legal in minnesota on May 30, 2023, when Gov. Tim Walz signed HF 100 into law. The first adult-use cannabis dispensaries opened this past September.