Months of planning have become a reality as the Prairie Island Indian Community opens the doors to its new cannabis dispensary.
Island Peži (pronounced pay-zhee, meaning grass) is the fourth cannabis dispensary to open in Minnesota. The tribe is excited to offer the products to customers in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota, said Blake Johnson, president of Prairie Island CBH Inc.
“We’re very excited to showcase our dispensary and all the hard work that’s gone into this,” he said.
The grand opening of Island Peži will begin with a green ribbon cutting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, June 29. Food trucks from Trickster Tacos and Misfits Coffee, along with Chez Annalise, BLNCD, White Earth and Slay Beverages, live music from DJ Austin and giveaways will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 29.
The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
The cannabis sold at Island Peži is sourced from the White Earth Nation and Prairie Island is happy and excited to work with other tribes in the industry, Johnson said.
“A long time ago, tribal trade was a big thing amongst tribes to trade goods that others had and this is a unique situation where we’re able to do that again,” Johnson said.
There’s currently a limited number of businesses and tribes cultivating cannabis. In addition to the dispensary, Prairie Island is starting to grow its own cannabis on its property on Highway 316 west of Red Wing. It’s an opportunity to diversify the cannabis offered at Island Peži, Johnson said.
“As we look into the future, we want to be able to have a variety of products for our guests. It’s important to not only have our own supply, but others as well,” Johnson said.
Prairie Island began the process to open a cannabis dispensary when the state lawmakers began moving legislation forward to legalize recreational marijuana.
Tribal leaders received feedback from members because it was important to hear what the community wanted, Johnson said. With the community’s support, they took the next steps to open a dispensary on the reservation.
They also took the time to develop regulations for Prairie Island’s cannabis operation that would provide safety and security for customers, employees and the products. Their regulations will be as stringent or more stringent than the state’s regulations because they want everyone to feel welcome and safe, Johnson said.
Revenue from the cannabis dispensary will add to the tribe’s economy. Prairie Island business income supports tribal programs related to education, health care, public safety and wastewater, he said.
“The economic driver is great for us to be able to offer those programs. This business is going to do the same and be able to support these programs we have in place,” he said.
Island Peži is “tied back into who we are as Dakota people and our culture and our way of life” and will “play a role in how we develop,” he said.
