High Stakes

Facebook X THE QUESTION I HEAR most in our aisles right now is simple: Are THC drinks and edibles going away? At Top Ten Liquors, the answer is no. We will keep carrying hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles in all 16 of our stores, on Dec. 11 and every day after. What Is Happening in Washington A provision in a federal spending bill moved the deadline for changes to hemp-derived THC to Dec. 11. On that day, the federal definition of hemp narrows enough to exclude nearly every THC beverage and edible sold today. It is also the day federal funding expires, which puts this category on the same calendar as the next shutdown fight. Nobody would design it this way, but that is the calendar we are working with. Congress may move the date again, and bipartisan proposals would create a federal regulatory path instead of effectively ending the market as it exists today. None of them are law yet. We are watching closely. Why We Are Staying In Federal law and Minnesota law are separate systems. In 2023, Minnesota became one of the first states to regulate low-dose hemp THC in liquor stores with testing, labeling standards, and sales limited to adults 21 and older. That same year, Minnesota legalized adult-use cannabis and created the Office of Cannabis Management to oversee the state’s cannabis and lower-potency hemp markets. State law continues to license hemp retailers and to regulate testing, labeling, and age limits, even as federal rules change. The federal change brings real uncertainty, but it does not erase Minnesota’s market. We have spent months preparing. We applied for licenses at every one of our stores. That is an application, a fee, and a background check, 16 times over, because we are committed to this category for the long haul. We did not make that investment lightly. Making it while the rules in Washington are still unsettled shows how seriously we take this category and how much we believe in Minnesota’s approach. Our customers have made the demand clear. THC is now about 15% of our total sales and our fourth-largest department behind beer, spirits, and wine. Nearly one in four of our customers bought a THC product this year. Beverage sales are up about 12% over last year, and edibles are up 71%. This is not a novelty shelf. It is a mainstream part of what Minnesotans buy. What You Will Notice One thing may change: THC may check out at its own register in each store, much like a pharmacy counter inside a grocery store. That register will take cash, because card networks will not process payments for a product that federal law treats as a controlled substance, and we are installing cash machines in all 16 locations. It is not a different store, a back room, or a membership. It is simply a dedicated checkout for the category, in the same stores you already shop. Everything else stays the same: the same shelves, the same broad selection, staff who can answer your questions, and an identification check on every purchase, because sales are limited to adults 21 and older. Where You Buy Matters When regulated access disappears, demand does not disappear with it. It moves to less accountable sellers and to products with fewer safeguards. A tested, labeled, age-verified product from a licensed store is the better answer for customers and for Minnesota. The bigger question is not whether people will want these products, it is where they will buy them. Minnesota started answering that years ago. Serving sizes, labels, testing, and age limits are not theoretical here; the state has built rules around them and keeps refining them. We would rather you buy from a store that follows those rules, with staff who know the products and can answer your questions. That is what we will keep offering. On Dec. 12, we will still be here, serving you under Minnesota law and navigating whatever Washington does next. You may just need to stop at the cash machine first.