Red Lake Nation Adopts Legal Recreational Cannabis Sales

The tribal council of the Red Lake Nation decided to legalize recreational marijuana, initiating its sale to both tribal and non-tribal members beginning August 1st.

This potentially places Red Lake Nation as the inaugural entity in the state to manage a recreational cannabis dispensary, providing them a notable advantage in the race to stake a claim in the estimated $1.5 billion market.

Although the legalization of recreational marijuana in Minnesota will take effect on August 1, it is anticipated that retail outlets may not open for another 12 to 18 months due to the need for state officials to set up a dispensary licensing system first.

The Red Lake Nation is primed to establish a tribal cannabis dispensary. The tribe has already been growing and dispensing medicinal marijuana on their reservation, following its legalization through a referendum in 2020.

NativeCare, Red Lake Nation’s medicinal cannabis dispensary, will start selling recreational marijuana, as stated by the tribal secretary, Sam Strong in ICT. Individuals over the age of 21 residing in Minnesota will be able to buy limited quantities of cannabis from this store.

Despite Red Lake’s potential to pioneer the first dispensary, it may not be a convenient location for most consumers in Minnesota. The Red Lake reservation is situated more than a half-hour drive from Bemidji, approximately three hours from Moorhead and Duluth, and a four-hour journey from the Twin Cities. However, Red Lake could also establish dispensaries on tribal lands close to Thief River Falls and Warroad.

Strong claimed that making marijuana legal will benefit the tribe in battling the opioid crisis and that a portion of the proceeds will go toward preventing substance misuse.

“We see this as a resource not only to reduce harm, but to also bring in resources to help our people recover,” Strong said.

Although the evidence is conflicting, some study suggests that legalizing cannabis is associated with a decline in opiate overdoses and fatalities.

Through agreements made with Gov. Tim Walz’s administration, Red Lake and other tribes will also be permitted to run dispensaries outside of their traditional territories.

Strong claimed that the medicinal marijuana the tribe now grows and distributes satisfies strict quality requirements and is devoid of dangerous toxins. Before the month ends, Strong promised, the tribe will provide cannabis users with more information.

Alcohol is still not allowed inside the Red Lake reservation’s borders, despite recreational marijuana becoming legal there.