The White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is set to open its first cannabis dispensary off tribal land, marking a historic moment in Minnesota’s cannabis industry. Located in Moorhead, the new dispensary—named Waabigwan Mashkiki, which means “flower medicine” in Ojibwe—will open its doors this weekend following a groundbreaking agreement with the State of Minnesota.
“This is a moment of pride and excitement. It’s historic,” said Zach Wilson, CEO of the White Earth Nation’s cannabis business. The agreement, the first of its kind in Minnesota, allows White Earth Nation to open up to eight dispensaries throughout the state. Plans are already in motion to expand into cities like St. Cloud, the Twin Cities, and southern Minnesota.
Minnesota legalized recreational marijuana in 2023. Since then, state officials have been working to establish the rules and infrastructure needed for a regulated cannabis market. However, tribal nations were not bound by the same timeline and were able to grow and sell cannabis on tribal land independently. Until now, White Earth’s cannabis business operated solely out of Mahnomen in northwest Minnesota.
The new dispensary in Moorhead represents a major expansion—and a new relationship between the tribe and the state. Under the agreement, White Earth’s off-reservation facilities will comply with state and local regulations, including paying applicable taxes such as Minnesota’s special 10% cannabis tax.
Wilson noted that their existing dispensary has already seen considerable success. “On a typical weekend, we serve upwards of 300 customers. Sales have been strong—we’re talking multiple millions of dollars annually,” he said. “This is a vital revenue stream that gets reinvested into our community and our people.”
The dispensary’s opening comes just ahead of a major milestone for Minnesota’s broader cannabis industry. On June 5th, the state plans to launch a license lottery that will allow non-tribal businesses to apply to enter the legal cannabis market.
Eric Taubel, Interim Director of Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management, emphasized the significance of the agreement. “We’ve been working on these compacts for over a year. We always anticipated that tribal agreements might be finalized before the general licensing process kicked off,” he said.
With this historic move, the White Earth Nation not only expands its successful cannabis operations but also sets a precedent for tribal-state partnerships in Minnesota’s evolving cannabis landscape.
