South Dakota has announced that it will soon become home to the nation’s first marijuana resort.
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This is a new venture for the Santee Sioux, as the legalization of marijuana came in June after the Justice Department issued a new policy allowing Native American tribes to grow and sell marijuana under the same conditions as a few states.
Set to begin selling its first joints on New Year’s Eve, the Associated Press reported Tuesday, the resort will grow its own marijuana and feature a smoking lounge with food and bar service, in addition to a nightclub.
We want it to be an adult playground…
“There’s nowhere else in America that has something like this.”
The tribe, which is projecting profit margins of $2 million a month, hopes to open by December 31.
“The vast majority of tribes have little to no economic opportunity”, Blake Trueblood, business development director at the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development told the AP.
Many tribes are hesitant to jump into the marijuana business. According to AP, leaders of the project plan to ensure that this won’t happen by assigning a bar code to every plant in the Flandreau’s growing facility. The tribe has also hired Denver-based consulting firm Monarch America to teach them the basics of how to grow and handle the plant. For those tribes, “this is something that you might look at and say, “We’ve got to do something”.
Even though marijuana will be legally sold at the resort, it can not leave the reservation.
While smaller marijuana-friendly bed and breakfast establishments have sprung up around Colorado, this will be the first major venue to allow public consumption.
Pearman says the Flandreau Santee Sioux will be hosting a conference this coming October where other tribes can view the facilities.
Just like the tribe’s casino profits, the hotel’s new income will fund community services and provide monthly stipends to tribal members.
The prosperity that marijuana could bring to Indian Country comes with huge caveats. The tribes have to follow strict security measures in order to not jeopardize the entire operation.
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The pot will be sold in 1-gram packages for $12.50 to $15.
