RED LAKE, Minn. — A medical cannabis dispensary located on the Red Lake Reservation is the first to announce plans to sell adult-use recreational cannabis when legal sales are allowed in Minnesota starting on Aug. 1.
NativeCare made the announcement on its Facebook page Wednesday.
Retail sales aren't expected to begin in most of the state until 2025 while the new Office of Cannabis Management sets up its regulatory framework; however, sovereign tribal nations are able to make their own decisions about when to begin sales.
On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan weighed in on the tribal nation's announcement in a statement, saying:
Throughout our time in office, Governor Walz and I have been committed to building strong government-to-government relationships with the eleven Tribal Nations within Minnesota. The law Governor Walz signed to legalize adult-use cannabis is one of the strongest in the nation in honoring the sovereignty of Tribal Nations like Red Lake Nation to make decisions on the sale of adult-use and medical cannabis.
Minnesota adults will be able to legally possess specific amounts of recreational cannabis without penalty starting Aug. 1, when the second part of a new state law officially takes effect. Retailers will be required to secure licenses from the state's new Office of Cannabis Management. Taxes are already in place for retail cannabis sales: consumers can expect to pay a 10% sales tax on cannabis products, with 80% of funds going to the state's general fund and 20% to local government aid.
The new law will allow people 21 and older to buy and transport 2 ounces of flower, 8 grams of THC concentrate and 800 milligrams of edible product, including the lower-potency edibles that are already legal. Minnesotans will also be allowed to have up to two pounds of cannabis flower in their homes starting on Aug. 1. Adults can also grow up to eight plants, with no more than four being mature.
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