Minnesota Gov. Signs Cannabis Compact with Prairie Island Indian Community

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Monday signed a cannabis compact with the
Prairie Island Indian Community that allows cannabis products produced by
the Tribe to be sold at state-licensed dispensaries.

In a statement, Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) Executive Director Eric
Taubel said the “compact provides state-licensed cannabis businesses the
opportunity to partner with Prairie Island Indian Community and boost
supply of product while maintaining the Tribe’s inherent sovereignty and
right to self-govern.”

Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Council President Grant Johnson, in
a statement, added that the Tribe is “grateful” to have the compact
completed, and that the Tribe is “excited to continue meeting demand in
Minnesota’s growing recreational cannabis market with the exceptional
cannabis products” it is producing.

“We’re very proud of the disciplined systems and processes we have created
to ensure the safe, secure operation of our cannabis business on and off
our reservation land. Those systems are modeled upon our more than 40 years
of successful Tribal regulation of our gaming enterprise, and we are eager
to continue applying that expertise to our cannabis operations.” — Johnson
in a press release

The agreement marks the third such cannabis compact between the state and
Tribal Nations that share its territory. In May, the state finalized a
cannabis compact with the White Earth Nation, and last month, the
state entered into a compact with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

OCM indicated it expected more compacts to be negotiated with other Tribal
Nations soon.