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Commission recommends county approve medical-cannabis endorsement for La Crescent retailer
Summary
The Houston County Planning Commission voted to recommend the County Board approve an interim use permit for a La Crescent cannabis retailer to add a medical-cannabis endorsement, citing local access needs and compliance plans; the recommendation includes two conditions and will go to the County Board for final action.
The Houston County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Houston County Board approve an interim use permit allowing a La Crescent cannabis retailer to add a medical-cannabis endorsement to its existing adult-use operation.
Amelia Reed, the county zoning/environmental services staff member who presented the application, told the commission that an interim use permit from the county is required before the Office of Cannabis Management can issue a medical endorsement. The application, submitted on behalf of MNRE 1570 US 1461 LLC (applicant Maria Vega, represented at the hearing by Dylan), would allow the store at 1570 US 1461 East to sell medical cannabis to certified patients in addition to its adult-use products.
"They already sell cannabis. They just would like to be able to sell it to medical patients," the applicant's representative said, explaining that the state requires a medical endorsement and separate inventory and point-of-sale controls for medical sales. Reed read the staff analysis showing the site is in the Highway Business District, that the proposed endorsement would be an interim use, and that there were no licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Houston County at the time of review.
The representative said the tenant has contracted with a licensed pharmacist (named in the application) to fulfill on-site consultation requirements and that staff or certified consultants must meet continuing-education standards and be available for periodic patient consultations. Reed also summarized findings on traffic and parking (the previous application identified roughly 130 parking stalls) and that the proposed use is strictly retail with no on-site manufacturing.
Commissioners moved to recommend approval with two conditions: that the permittee comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws and that county staff be allowed to enter the premises at reasonable times to confirm compliance. On a roll-call vote recorded in the transcript the commission recorded votes as: John — yes; Franklin — yes; Eric — yes; Chase — yes; Rich — yes. The motion carried.
The commission's recommendation will be transmitted to the Houston County Board for final action at its next applicable meeting. The commission did not record any public commenters opposing the endorsement during the hearing.
The county staff packet and the applicant materials include the hearing date (05/28/2026) and deadlines for written comments; those documents are part of the public record.
