Despite the demographically widespread nature of weed usage around the country, the business side of things is far from equitable. Only 18 percent of non-white owned cannabis businesses were profitable in 2024, while 34 percent of white owned ones were. To ensure that the cannabis industry in Minnesota has a future—and a diverse one, at that—the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) is hosting a Minnesota Cannabis Leadership Summit from August 18-20.
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MCBA was founded in 2015 with the purpose of helping minority cannabis businesses and the associated communities. The organization represents businesses, aspiring business owners, and supporters who share a common goal of an equitable and thriving cannabis industry.
The 2025 MCBA Green Equity Cannabis Leadership Summit aims to help Minnesota cannabis workers thrive by creating an equitable market that centers the plant and its power. MCBA held a workshop in Minnesota in 2023 and has since had a vested interest in working with cannabis workers in the state to fund and launch successful businesses.
“Green Equity is the evolution of the Equity Workshop Tour,” said Mike Lomuto, MCBA Board Chairman, in an email to GreenState. “We’ve worked with dozens of leaders from around the country, while organizing with locals in Minnesota, to create the event many of us wish existed as a support structure when our states launched Adult Use.”
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The three-day event will be split thematically and will take place at multiple venues throughout the Twin Cities metro. Monday’s focus is “Creating Economic Opportunity through Policy,” during which eventgoers will expand their understanding of the rules and regulations around selling cannabis so that they can make money while maintaining legality. Tuesday’s programming is split into two sections—“Mastermind for Success” and “Raising Capital Mastermind.” Wednesday is all about culture. “Amplifying the Culture Mastermind” will focus on ensuring survival in the evolving industry while still preserving the deep-rooted culture of the cannabis community.
There will also be plenty of opportunities for networking. Wednesday’s programming includes speed networking and free professional headshots. Later that night, the Storytelling Symposium will see people sharing their personal journeys with cannabis.
The days will include numerous seminars featuring special guest speakers, including members of the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, such as Eric Taubel (Interim Director) and Merone Melekin (Chief Operating Officer). Other speakers of note include Scheril Murray Powell, Matt Robinson, Jarell Wall, Toni Forge, and more.
“Attendees should expect a program that’s much more intimate in nature than your typical conference, with a lot of interaction and a focus on upleveling your network and knowledge,” said Lomuto.
Minnesota has been a pioneer state for cannabis in the country for years now, passing legislation to regulate hemp in a way that protects delta-9 THC, protecting weed-using workers, and most recently, considering opening municipal dispensaries. Even with all of this progress, the MCBA wants to ensure it learns valuable lessons from the 22 adult-use states that came before it. By ensuring that the emerging market starts off diverse, it won’t have to self-correct years down the line.
Get tickets to the summit here. Use the code GEPARTNER to save on your passes.