Minnesotans who have waited patiently for the opportunity to legally buy cannabis near the metro area received a new option Monday when Island Peži, the Prairie Island Indian Community’s new adult-use retail marijuana dispensary, officially opened its doors to customers. Located across the parking lot from Treasure Island Resort & Casino on the outskirts of Red Wing, Island Peži (pronounced pay-ZHEE, the Dakota word for grass) the store is about 40 miles from the Twin Cities. The tribe plans to mark the store’s grand opening Saturday with a daylong celebration featuring vendors, food trucks and live music.
“We’re very excited about this opening and I think it’s a great opportunity for us to showcase the hard work and the dedication to running a safe and regulated [business],” Blake Johnson, a tribal member and president of Prairie Island Cannabis Holdings Inc., Island Peži’s tribally owned parent company, said in an interview last week.
The dispensary offers a range of cannabis products, including flower supplied by White Earth Nation’s tribally owned Waabigwan Mashkiki cultivation facility, as well as an assortment of hemp-derived gummies, beverages, topicals and oils from Minnesota businesses.
A steady stream of curious customers visited the dispensary, which shares a building with a gas station and convenience store, during its soft opening Monday, browsing the selection of products and chatting with staff. Many visitors said it was their first time legally purchasing cannabis in Minnesota.
Patty, a customer who lives nearby in Red Wing and declined to share her last name, purchased two varieties of gummies — one with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana that produces a high, and another containing nonpsychoactive CBD and another cannabinoid, CBN, marketed as a “nighttime” product. She said the prices were comparable to other dispensaries she had visited in other states, though she looks forward to seeing a broader selection of products being offered in the future.
“I would come back,” she said. “I’m a regular at the casino anyways.”
Prairie Island Indian Community is planning to build its own cultivation facility nearby, with up to five buildings for growing cannabis indoors and more than 2 acres for seasonal outdoor cultivation. Johnson said the Prairie Island Community is excited about the launch of its cannabis business and the economic windfall it could bring.
“We’re a self-sufficient tribe, and this is one way to continue to push that,” Johnson said.
Matt DeLong is the Star Tribune’s digital projects editor. He has worked on many digital initiatives, from election planning to the Minnesota Beer Bracket to helping tipsters contact reporters securely. He has reported on extremism in the state and written reader guides on many topics, including Minnesota gun laws, voting and out-of-state Vikings bars. DeLong oversees the Star Tribune Minnesota Poll and curates the daily Talkers afternoon newsletter.
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