Cannabis employee stock ownership plans provisions modification

SF 3520 amends Minnesota's cannabis licensing laws to clarify that employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and their trustees or employees do not count toward restrictions on being a "true party of interest" for multiple cannabis business licenses. The bill specifically exempts the trustee of an ESOP and employees (such as officers, managers, or directors) of a cannabis business owned by an ESOP from limitations that normally prevent an individual from being tied to more than one license application. This directly affects cannabis businesses using ESOPs to grant employee ownership stakes and their trustees/employees. The key mechanism adds these exemptions to existing rules, removing a barrier to using ESOPs in the cannabis industry.