A Minnesota Farmer’s Cannabis Reality: Andrew Johnmeyer on Policy, Power & the Cost of the Rollout

On this episode of The Canna Connect Show, host Stephen Eigenmann sits down with Andrew Johnmeyer of Green Machine Farm for a wide-ranging, deeply personal conversation about cannabis, agriculture, and what really happened during Minnesota’s cannabis rollout.

Andrew’s story begins long before legalization headlines. As a farmer, activist, and home grower, he traces his journey from Minnesota’s early medical cannabis days to becoming a hopeful applicant in the adult-use market—only to watch the system shift beneath his feet. This episode captures the growing disconnect between state-level policy decisions and the realities faced by farmers, small cultivators, and rural communities.

Throughout the conversation, Stephen and Andrew unpack:

• Andrew’s activist roots and early exposure to cannabis policy
• Minnesota’s medical cannabis beginnings and the promise of legalization
• Red flags for small cultivators as rules and taxes changed mid-process
• Cannabis as medicine, cannabinoids, terpenes, phenohunting, and home-grow genetics
• The social equity license program and microbusiness restrictions
• Local government resistance, county-level ordinances, and agricultural conflicts
• The role of the League of Cities and breakdowns in county communication
• When and why Andrew ultimately walked away from pursuing a Minnesota license

This episode is not about hype or shortcuts. It’s about documenting lived experience, understanding how well-intentioned policy can create unintended harm, and preserving the voices of those who felt excluded from shaping Minnesota’s cannabis future.

If you care about cannabis policy, agricultural inclusion, or the long-term health of Minnesota’s legal market, this is a conversation worth hearing.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

0:00 – Disclaimer
 0:45 – Welcome & episode preview
 1:30 – Interview begins
 2:05 – Andrew’s activist beginnings
 2:55 – Minnesota’s medical cannabis beginnings
 4:38 – Farming background: livestock, chickens, eggs
 9:00 – Red flags for small cultivators
 13:20 – The tax jump from 10% to 15%
 14:45 – Understanding cannabinoids
 16:55 – Home growing process
 18:25 – Cannabis as medicine
 19:59 – Terpenes
 20:38 – Access to cannabinoids over time
 21:11 – Phenohunting
 22:35 – Creating new genetics & regional growing conditions
 23:27 – Minnesota’s social equity license
 24:55 – When things changed as an applicant
 28:00 – Microbusiness restrictions
 30:30 – Social equity lottery delays
 35:10 – Local government regulation challenges
 40:00 – Goodhue County communication issues
 41:45 – League of Cities involvement
 44:00 – Anti-agriculture outcomes of county statutes
 45:25 – OCM formation amid medical & hemp market imbalance
 46:16 – Walking away from licensure
 49:11 – Speaking directly to county government