Official Press Release
May 18, 2026
The Smoking Tree LLC Statement on Today’s Court of Appeals Decision
Jacob Schlichter, owner of The Smoking Tree LLC, issued the following statement today following the Minnesota Court of Appeals’ decision in Jacob Schlichter, et al. v. City of Albert Lea, et al.:
“We’re very pleased the Court of Appeals recognized that the City of Albert Lea did not follow its own rules or state law by denying our cannabis business registration last year. The Court has made clear what the law requires, and we hope the City will issue our business registration promptly. We will pursue further legal action if it does not. The City should not force taxpayers to bear that additional expense. We also hope the work we did here can help others in similar situations—no one should have to fight this hard to exercise a right the law guarantees.”
