Budding businesses gather in Moorhead for a legal cannabis expo (2025)

MOORHEAD — Amid the changing landscape of cannabis legalization, local Minnesota businesses are opening their doors to new customers.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Dozens of people rolled up to a legal cannabis expo — Cannavend — on Friday, April 18, that featured a half dozen local businesses in the cannabis industry.

The event inside Swing Barrel Brewing in Moorhead featured free take-home samples of cannabis, courtesy of a local Moorhead grower, as well as a range of purchasable items — from cannabis drinks and snacks to plant seeds and handmade storage jars — and a host of industry professionals ready to educate the curious attendee.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Local business owner Alex Kitsch recently opened up his establishment, Kitsch Farms, in Moorhead.

“I appreciate the support from the community,” Kitsch said. “We’re definitely trying to kill the stigma when it comes to serving cannabis.”

Down the line, he plans to sell cannabis, but for now, while the licensing through the state of Minnesota is in “limbo,” Kitsch Farms provides consulting services to people who want to grow. Currently, it is legal in Minnesota to grow a limited number of cannabis plants for personal use, but businesses that have applied to sell the product are left waiting for the green light from the state.

“We don’t know when we’ll hear from them,” Kitsch said. “The sooner the better to be honest with you, because we still have to build out our facilities and then still grow our product before we can even get into the industry.”

For business owners making the leap and investing in the cannabis industry, Kitsch said, this waiting period is full of concern as they watch other investors drop out or lose their capital.

“I feel bad for the people that spent a ton of money to get their businesses going and now those people have backed out,” Kitsch said.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Cassie Mccloskey, the owner and operator of Primary Apothecary, organized the event on Friday to lift up local cannabis businesses and educate interested customers.

“I want to be able to create an environment for consumers to come and be comfortable, positive and exciting,” she said. “A place to have all these resources in one spot.”

While she runs her own business out of Detroit Lakes, Mccloskey holds events throughout the region to promote legal cannabis products and support other businesses through a time when licensing through the state of Minnesota is opaque.

“There is a lot of confusion and grey areas,” for businesses and cannabis users right now, she said.

Business owners also face the “negative stigma” associated with cannabis products, she said.

Cannabis provides many medical and therapeutic benefits, she said, like helping someone sleep, providing pain relief or enhancing a person’s appetite.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Jess Greene, a vendor at Friday’s event, experienced those benefits first hand.

She used medical cannabis to manage persistent pain and lower her anxiety levels, Green said, and it changed her life.

“I just want to help more and more people so they don’t have to be in pain as well,” Green said.

Now, Green has started her own business, Tree House Cannabis, where she works to educate people on what is right for their situation, she said.

“Don’t ever think that cannabis is what we have been taught it is over the years,” Greene said. “It’s so much more than that.”

Readers interested in future events can follow Primary Apothecary on social media or contact primary.apothicary@gmail.com .

Reporter working the night shift 👻. I cover Fargo city government, Cass County government and underserved populations in the area.