Minnesota Cannabis College

01/24/2026

01/09/2026

Statement on the Murder of Renee Good and ICE Activity in Minnesota

On January 7, Renee Nicole Good was killed by ICE officers in Minneapolis, a city that has repeatedly borne witness to state violence carried out in the name of “public safety.” Her death is not an isolated tragedy, nor is it an unfortunate mistake. It is part of a long and ongoing pattern of government force deployed against marginalized people, often with deadly consequences.

For decades, Black communities, immigrant communities, and others deemed disposable have lived under a system that treats surveillance, militarization, and punishment as solutions. These same logics have animated the war on drugs, where cannabis users, cultivators, and distributors were criminalized, caged, and stripped of dignity under the guise of law and order.

The war on cannabis didn’t just criminalize a plant — it built and normalized a machinery of surveillance, raids, and force-first enforcement that has always landed hardest on Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and poor communities. And for immigrants in particular, cannabis criminalization has too often functioned as a pipeline into detention and deportation: a single interaction with policing can spiral into court involvement, incarceration, family separation, and removal. This is how “public safety” gets manufactured — by branding communities as threats, then using that label to justify punishment and violence.

These harms are not separate, but are interconnected. The same structures that justify violence against immigrants today also justified violence against Black and Indigenous Americans and criminalized cannabis users for generations. You cannot meaningfully oppose cannabis prohibition while endorsing the agencies and tactics that rely on fear, force, and dehumanization to police our communities.

Renee Nicole Good deserved to live. Justice requires more than mourning. It requires naming the systems that made her death possible, and working to tear those structures down.

The Minnesota Cannabis College has long opposed law enforcement–centered approaches to public safety, and we remain committed to that position. We believe true community well-being comes from care, education, and material support, and not from surveillance, punishment, or force. We encourage members of the cannabis community, and Minnesotans more broadly, to continue the daily work of dismantling systems that rely on coercion and violence to maintain control.

We join with the community of Minneapolis and the State of Minnesota when we say: “F**k Ice.”

In Solidarity,
The Minnesota Cannabis College Board of Trustees

08/22/2025

🚀 Big news! Minnesota Cannabis College was awarded the CanTrain Grant from the Office of Cannabis Management 🌱✨

This support helps us expand education, training, and resources for the next generation of Minnesota’s cannabis industry. 💚

The future is growing—and we’re here to make sure it’s trained, skilled, and ready. 🌿📚

08/19/2025

Stay tuned for a special summer episode of the Northern Lights Podcast!

Philly & Bear first twin cities licensed dispensary
Jesse's getting into seeds
Zach and Midwest Famous brand showcase
Bryant Jones work on Cannabis Advisory Council & MCTC funded CANNTRAIN grant
Jen Reise launched the North Star Accelerator Program

08/18/2025

MN Cannabis College is proud to be a sponsor of the Green Equity Summit — a gathering built to spark conversation, create opportunity, and drive equity in Minnesota’s cannabis industry.

🎤 Inspiring speakers
🤝 Networking with leaders & innovators
🌿 Building an equitable future

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the movement.

01/17/2025

Clip from S2:E14 featuring Minny Grown

Witness the remarkable evolution of Minnesota's cannabis industry! From the early days of h**p and CBD to the present with low-dose edibles and h**p-derived ...

01/07/2025

🌿 Kicking Off 2025: Tanner and John dive into Minnesota’s cannabis scene, where legal disputes and special elections loom large. With the legislative session just around the corner, what does the future hold for lawmakers and the industry?

💡 Episode Highlights:

✅ Updates on Minnesota-based MSO Vireo.

✅ A game of "Looking Back on 2024" – ranking last year's most impactful cannabis moments.

✅ Tanner's chat with John Dugas of Superior Molecular about h**p-derived edibles, water-soluble THC, and cutting-edge emulsions.

✅ Terp Tasting time with Green Machine Farm's BOP and Hashy Gilmore's Sour Papaya.

✅ High Thoughts with our friend Kelly to close it all out.

🎥 Filmed at: Dabbler Depot Studio in St. Paul

🎙️ Start your year with us! 🚀 Listen now and let’s explore the future of cannabis together.

Watch Today:

Please Note: This episode was recorded before news broke that Charlene Briner will step down as interim director of OCM on Jan 17th to be replaced by OCM's G...

12/12/2024

Get caught up on the latest episodes of the Northern Lights Podcast by streaming our most recent episodes this month!

You can find the latest podcast episodes using our link below:

https://northernlights.buzzsprout.com/2193570/episodes

11/27/2024

We’re excited to share that the Northern Lights Podcast just reached 10,000 downloads and we are thrilled to announce we are hosting a holiday party to celebrate our success!

Learn more about the event and RSVP via our facebook event page ⬇️

Northern Lights Holiday Party presented by Dabbler Depot and the Minnesota Cannabis College

Details:
December 20th, 2024
4:00 - 8:00 pm
951 Payne Ave Saint Paul, MN

Thank you to everyone who supports the work we do on the podcast and we look forward to celebrating together on December 20th at Dabbler Depot THC Seed & Sesh

11/27/2024

Thank you for sharing!

Center for Energy and Environment

As we work to bring more efficiency into our state’s expanding cannabis industry, we're excited to be a sponsor of the Northern Lights Podcast from Minnesota Cannabis College. Every week, the Northern Lights crew gathers insights from a wide range of industry players that will help you stay informed about progress in the Minnesota cannabis industry: https://hubs.ly/Q02ZJ98_0

Learn more about how CEE’s One-Stop Efficiency Shop can help newly licensed growers with Xcel Energy electric service save up to 75% on LED lighting with efficiency-based rebates: https://hubs.ly/Q02ZH-qX0