St. Anthony Village to become second municipality in Minnesota to operate city-owned cannabis dispensary

St. Anthony Village is set to open a city-owned cannabis dispensary Saturday, becoming the second municipality in Minnesota to operate one, alongside Anoka.

The new business marks an expansion of the city's municipal liquor operation, which has been in business for 80 years.

"It's a natural progression from what we've been doing for the last 80 years with the liquor store," said Dave Anglum, a retail operations manager.

Over the past 15 years, the city's municipal liquor store has generated nearly $3.5 million. City leaders hope cannabis sales will create another revenue stream to benefit the community.

"Those profits go back into the community for special projects, offsetting levy increases, things like that," Anglum said.

The city says education and responsible sales will be central to the dispensary's operation. Staff members will be available to help customers understand the products and explore their options.

"We're not just here to push products on customers. We want to give them a great selection and a great opportunity to discover more about what the products are," Anglum said.

According to the city, community feedback about the new business has been positive.

City leaders hope the dispensary will generate revenue that benefits residents, regardless of whether they choose to purchase cannabis.

"Our goal is to generate enough income that we can positively impact the lives and residents here in the community," Anglum said.