The Zen Arcade, a novel “rock & roll cannabis lounge,” is celebrating its grand opening this week. It shares a building with the Hook & Ladder Theater and Lounge and is situated immediately adjacent to the site of the former Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct, which was set ablaze during the unrest that followed George Floyd’s death in 2020. Since then, it has since had a bright mural on the exterior of the building.

While the precinct has only recently found a new home on Minnehaha Avenue, The Zen Arcade has quickly emerged in the wake of the upheaval and the pandemic, heralding a new era of legal cannabis.

Coinciding with Minnesota’s legalization of recreational marijuana, The Zen Arcade exemplifies the innovative drive powering the burgeoning local cannabis industry. It adds to the dynamic roster of cannabis-centric ventures in the Minnehaha Avenue area, a neighborhood that boasts the Hook, Moon Palace Books, Arbeiter Brewing Company, Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio and Store, and D&J Glove Repair.

In 2022, Minnesota gave the green light to hemp-derived THC edibles and drinks, and this year, the state legislature has given its nod to marijuana legalization. Although personal cultivation, possession, and consumption of marijuana are now permitted, commercial sales outside of tribal lands are anticipated to commence in the spring of 2025.