Marijuana legalization advocates ask whether the state financing gives large, out-of-state cannabis businesses a taxpayer-funded advantage over local companies.
In light of the recent legalization of adult-use cannabis in Minnesota, Hwy35, a Missouri-based cannabis operator, recently obtained a significant $22 million in funding from two Minnesota state agencies.
“It seems like he’s exerting influence on the local government,” one village stakeholder said. “And then you figure out who all the relationships are, you can just tell he has the ability to influence these people.”