Forest Lake's First Dispensary Opens, OCM Macrobusiness License & Myrcene 101

Forest Lake just got its first dispensary, Minnesota's cannabis omnibus bill is reshaping the license landscape, and we dig into myrcene — the terpene behind that classic "couch-lock" feeling. Here's everything from this week's episode. In this episode: Forest Lake's first dispensary opened Monday, June 15, 2026, with Mayor Blake Roberts personally involved in the launch. Context on Minnesota's municipal dispensary wave: Anoka's city-run store is already open, and Osseo is preparing to launch the state's first government-run cannabis store. The 2026 cannabis omnibus bill (SF 4401 / HF 4203) creates a new "macrobusiness" license tier and begins merging the medical and adult-use supply chains under OCM. OCM is reviewing Lower-Potency Hemp Edible (LPHE) license applications on a rolling basis — the window runs through 4:30 p.m. on July 13. Where to watch the numbers yourself: OCM's public Cannabis Market Monitor dashboard publishes monthly licensing, sales, and cultivation stats. Terpene deep-dive: myrcene is typically the most abundant terpene in cannabis (also found in mango, hops, and thyme), with an earthy/musky aroma. Cultivars above ~0.5% myrcene tend toward calming, sedative effects; research notes anti-inflammatory and anxiolytic properties tied to the entourage effect. Shopper tip: ask your budtender for the COA and check the terpene panel — myrcene-dominant for sleep, limonene/pinene-forward for energy. Upcoming: CannaCon St. Paul, June 26–28, 2026 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. Sources: Star Tribune: Forest Lake mayor opens cannabis dispensary Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management OCM Cannabis Market Monitor Carpfish Creative: MN Cannabis Omnibus Update MJBizDaily: Minnesota's first municipal cannabis dispensary Marijuana Moment: First government-run MN marijuana store Cannovia: What is myrcene? ACS Lab: Guide to myrcene Botanical Sciences: Myrcene terpene Nama CBD: What is myrcene? NECANN Minnesota Convention Star Tribune Events: 2026 Minnesota Cannabis Convention Subscribe: mncannabishub.com Full transcript Will: —and that's the thing, you can't just drop a dispensary in a town like Forest Lake and not have it be a whole moment, you know? Matilda: Will, the MAYOR was there. Like, personally there. Opening day. Will: Mayor Blake Roberts. Monday. June fifteenth. Cut the ribbon on Forest Lake's first dispensary. Matilda: Yesterday. That was yesterday. Will: That was yesterday, yeah. Matilda: Ope, okay, so I want to sit with that for a sec because... a sitting mayor showing up to a cannabis store opening? Five years ago? Will: Wouldn't have happened. Matilda: Wouldn't have happened. Will: Not a chance. And it's not just symbolic, Matilda, it's like... the politics shifted under our feet and now the politicians are catching up. Matilda: But is he tied to the store, like business-tied, or is this a ceremonial thing? Will: That I don't actually know. The reporting I saw just said he was personally involved in the launch. I don't want to overstate it. Matilda: Okay, fair. Will: I'd rather say "I'm not sure" than make something up. Matilda: A rare quality in podcasting. Will: Skol. Matilda: But here's what I keep coming back to. Forest Lake gets their first store, and meanwhile we've got Anoka already running a city-owned dispensary— Will: City-RUN, yeah. Matilda: —and Osseo about to launch what's gonna be the first actual government-run cannabis store in the state. Will: That one still kinda blows my mind. Matilda: Right? Will: Like, the city OWNS the store. The city is the retailer. Matilda: It's wild. And I think people up north and out in the suburbs hear "municipal dispensary" and assume it's some Twin Cities thing— Will: It's not. Matilda: It's not. It's the opposite. It's the smaller cities going, you know what, we'll just do this ourselves. Will: And keep the revenue local. Which, honestly? Smart. Matilda: A government doing something efficient. In Minnesota. Doncha know. Will: Stop. Matilda: I'm just saying. Will: Okay but you bring up a real point though. Because we should talk about what's happening at the state level too, because OCM had a busy spring. Matilda: The Office of Cannabis Management. Will: The Office of Cannabis Management. So the legislature passed a cannabis omnibus bill this session — SF four-four-oh-one, paired with HF four-two-oh-three. Matilda: Mhm. Will: And the headline thing for me is they're creating a new license tier called "macrobusiness." Matilda: Macrobusiness. Define that for a normal human. Will: So... my read is it's basically a larger-scale operator tier. Bigger footprint than the existing license classes. Matilda: So... not the craft grower down the road. Will: Not the craft grower. Not the microbusiness. A step up. Matilda: Hmm. Will: And the OTHER big piece in that bill is they're starting to merge the medical and adult-use supply chains under OCM. Matilda: Okay THAT is actually a big deal. Will: That's a big deal. Matilda: Because right now if you're a medical patient you've got this kind of parallel universe— Will: Separate track. Matilda: —separate track, separate products sometimes, and the idea that those start braiding together... that changes the shopping experience. Will: It changes everything downstream. Eventually. Matilda: Eventually. Will: I want to be careful here — I'm not gonna tell you it all flips overnight. These things take a minute. Matilda: A Minnesota minute. Will: A Minnesota minute, which is like, what, eighteen months? Matilda: At least. Will: At ...