Minnesota OKs tribe to sell adult-use cannabis off its reservation

Minnesota has given the green light for the first Native American tribe to open an adult-use cannabis store off its reservation in the state.The go-head came Tuesday when Gov.

Tim Walz signed a compact agreement with the White Earth Band of Chippewa allowing the tribe to open eight recreational marijuana stores across the state, according to MPR News. ADVERTISEMENT Eric Taubel, interim director of the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, said Minnesota is the first state in the country to sign a contract recognizing a tribal nation’s authority to regulate its marijuana businesses off tribal land.

“I think it’s a great statement about Minnesota and Minnesota values and the respect we have for our neighbors, whether it’s a literal next-door neighbor or the nations that we share territory with,” Taubel told MPR.“It’s an opportunity for tribes to succeed in a sort of marketplace that can drive substantial benefits to their members.” White Earth Band’s marijuana operation, Waabigwan Mashkiki, expects to open a store in Moorhead in the coming week and a St.

Cloud location by the end of June, CEO Zach Wilson told MPR News.“It’s just such a historical moment for not only White Earth and the tribes in the state of Minnesota, but really this is going to help set a precedent nationwide of what type of compacts can be drafted, can be negotiated and worked on throughout the country,” Wilson said.

ADVERTISEMENT White Earth Band is the first of 11 tribes working on compacts with the governor’s office to receive approval.Tribes have been growing, manufacturing and selling marijuana on their sovereign territories and will be among the first cultivators to provide cannabis to Minnesota’s fledgling adult-use market.

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