Despite state-licensed marijuana retail outlets not opening until 2025, two tribes in Minnesota began selling marijuana when it became legal on August 1. Now one of those tribes has announced a new plan to roll out a mobile marijuana store.
(Photo credit: Aaron Lavinsky, Star Stribune).
The Red Lake Nation has announced that they are working on a mobile dispensary, which they say will closely resemble a food truck, allowing them to travel and sell cannabis throughout tribal land rather than at one set location. Red Lake Nation covers over 840,000 acres of land.
Tribal Secretary Samuel Strong says that NativeCare, the tribe’s marijuana store, has been seeing over 300 customers a day which has led to long wait times and the store deciding to open on Saturdays. He says he’s “very excited to see how the community will respond” to the mobile store.
“Obviously, there’s some more security concerns that would be involved with a food truck, but very similar to that concept,” says Strong. “You know, setting up shop and being able to serve customers and have the same level of customer service while being mobile and being more available to our consumers.”
Strong says concerns that the marijuana store will lead to increased crime has thus far been unfounded.
“What I found is that the people that are participating in this industry are very friendly, and very respectful of our laws. And we’ve been getting good business at the store and our casino and other businesses around the community,” he says. “And I think we’re really changing perceptions, both of outsiders coming onto Red Lake and of outsiders from Red Lakers’ perspective. And so that’s really a positive part is seeing that building those bridges, and cannabis is doing just that.”
Strong says the mobile dispensary should be open in the coming months.
