“Pezi.” The Dakota Sioux word for grass is “pezi.” The dispensary will be next to the tribe’s convenience store and gas station on the 400-acre reservation. The tribe is a federally recognized sovereign nation.
Dakota Sioux beat state into cannabis business
RED WING, Minn. – The first marijuana dispensary in southeast Minnesota is opening within two weeks on Indian lands on Prairie Island 12 miles upriver from Red Wing. Dakota Sioux tribal leaders said its entry into the recreational cannabis industry will create another avenue of economic diversification for the tribe’s future generations. “The tribe is committed to the highest standards of operation through its Cannabis Regulatory Commission,” the tribe said in an announcement. “It is similar to the function of the state’s licensing and regulatory system for the broader Minnesota market.” New state-authorized dispensaries don’t open until January. Among tribes, Prairie Grass isn’t he first in Minnesota. Already operating are the Red Lake Nation’s NativeCare shop in Red Lake, the White Earth Nation’s Flower Medicine shop in Mahnomen, and he Leech Lake band’s Sweetest Grass shop in Walker.
Major tribal revenue source. For 40 years.
Casino profile
Since 1984 the tribe has operated the tropical-themed Treasure Island casino on on Prairie Island. The casino comlex includes a 780-bed hotel — the second largest in the state. In Minnesota 11 tribes have 19 casinos on reservation land. Combined, the casinos are one the state’s largest employers. Annual payrolls exceed $500 million. On Prairie Island the Dakota Sioux land is shred with the Xcel Energy nuclear power station just outside tribal boundaries.