Roll With Paid. Offers Employer-of-Record Services to Minnesota Cannabis Businesses as Adult-Use Market Marks First Year

Minnesota payroll and HR firm supports licensees with new hiring, background check and state leave requirements as more than 300 businesses enter the market

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As Minnesota's adult-use cannabis market completes its first year of sales, Roll With Paid., a Minnesota-based payroll, HR and employer-of-record company, is reminding licensed cannabis employers of the employment laws that took effect in 2026 and the changes arriving in 2027. Requirements now in force include fingerprint background checks for cannabis workers, Minnesota Paid Leave, and statutory paid rest and meal breaks. In 2027, employers will see higher state and Minneapolis minimum wages, a new macrobusiness license, and new product requirements for medical retail endorsements. Roll With Paid. helps employers prepare through payroll, HR compliance and employer-of-record support.

According to the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), consumers and patients have purchased more than $250 million in combined adult-use and medical cannabis products since state-licensed retail sales began on September 16, 2025. OCM reports that more than 300 new cannabis businesses launched during that period.

Under Roll With Paid.'s employer-of-record model, the company becomes the W-2 employer for a client's workforce. It manages payroll, tax filings, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance administration, and employment compliance. Clients retain authority over hiring, scheduling and day-to-day operations.

Minnesota cannabis employers operate under requirements that most small businesses do not face. Since March 1, 2026, prospective cannabis workers must complete a state and national fingerprint background check through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension before employment, according to OCM. Licensed cannabis businesses may not employ anyone under 21 as a cannabis worker. Statewide, Minnesota Paid Leave premiums and benefits began January 1, 2026.

"Three hundred new cannabis businesses means three hundred new employers, and many of them are running payroll for the first time in an industry where employment compliance is tied to licensing," said Leah Kollross, founder of Roll With Paid. "Our role is to carry the employer side so owners can focus on their operations and their people."

Further changes take effect in the coming months. Minnesota's new macrobusiness license begins January 1, 2027. A federal redefinition of hemp is scheduled to take effect December 11, 2026, after which OCM says many products that comply with Minnesota law will become federally noncompliant. Minnesota's 2026 cannabis law allows hemp businesses to also hold cannabis licenses. Hemp businesses are not subject to the state's under-21 employment rule for cannabis workers.

"I run a hemp beverage company, so I know what it means to look at a December deadline and plan a move into cannabis," Kollross said. "What catches people off guard isn't the license application. It's realizing that some of the crew who built the business may not be able to come with them, because they are under 21 or have never been through a fingerprint check. That conversation needs to start well before the switch."

"Workers in this industry are owed what every Minnesota worker is owed: accurate pay, real benefits and an employer that knows the rules," said Jen Williams, Managing Member of Roll With Paid., who leads the company's tribal relations practice. "We treat workers as partners, not liabilities. Whether we are supporting a dispensary in the metro or an enterprise chartered by a Tribal Nation, that standard does not change."

Roll With Paid. serves dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers and hospitality businesses in Minnesota, with multi-state capability. The company also publishes employment compliance guidance for cannabis employers through its newsletter, Roll Call., at rollcall.beehiiv.com.

About Roll With Paid.

Roll With Paid. is a Minnesota-based payroll, HR and employer-of-record company built for businesses operating in complex, regulated and high-risk environments, including cannabis dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers and hospitality operators. Founded by Leah Kollross and led with Managing Member Jen Williams, the company manages payroll execution, compliance, benefits administration and employment risk while clients keep authority over hiring and daily operations. Roll With Paid. serves Minnesota employers with multi-state capability. Learn more at rollwithpaid.com.

Roll With Paid. is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Roll With Paid. does not prepare tax returns or advise on tax positions; operators should consult qualified counsel and tax professionals about their specific circumstances.

Leah Kollross
Roll With Paid
info@ollwithpaid.com
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