Red Lake Nation opening cannabis dispensaries in Thief River Falls, West St. Paul

Tribal leaders in Red Lake announced that they will open two cannabis dispensaries off their northern Minnesota reservation after signing a compact agreement with the state.

Red Lake’s NativeCare dispensary — the first in Minnesota to open in 2023 — is expected to open a location in Thief River Falls on New Year’s Eve and a second site next month in West St. Paul.

“Over the past five years, we have been perfecting unique strains of cannabis in our premiere growing facilities at the Red Lake Nation,” Tribal Chairman Darrell G. Seki Sr. said in a statement. “Now that our cooperative agreement with the state has been finalized, we are looking forward to sharing our top-shelf products with the Minnesota market.”

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa is the latest tribe to sign a deal, on Monday, Dec. 15, with Gov. Tim Walz allowing for cannabis sales outside reservation boundaries. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe signed a compact agreement in September. The next month, Prairie Island Indian Community, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe entered agreements. In May, White Earth Band of Ojibwe became the first tribe to sell off of the reservation, at dispensaries in Moorhead and St. Cloud.

Minnesota’s 11 tribal nations got an early foothold in the state’s budding recreational cannabis industry as it was slow to license nontribal businesses. As with previous compact agreements, Red Lake may open up to eight retail locations, with one per city and three per county.

The state Office of Cannabis Management Executive Director Eric Taubel said in a statement that the agreement with Red Lake respects the tribe’s “sovereignty and marks a crucial step in the development of Minnesota’s cannabis market, as it creates opportunities that will help fill the need for supply to state-licensed businesses.”

Taubel added: “The Red Lake people offered legal adult-use cannabis the day after the law took effect via NativeCare, showing their readiness to enter this exciting industry at a broader scale. We look forward to seeing state and Tribal businesses flourish as new opportunities arise through this historic partnership.“