A new cannabis dispensary in a central Minnesota city was met with sizable crowds and plenty of anticipation on Wednesday.
"It's been busy," said Derek Lee, retail director for Waabigwan Mashkiki dispensary. "We had a line around the block to start."
The Waabigwan Mashkiki dispensary can exist in St. Cloud because Gov. Tim Walz signed a tribal-state compact back in May, allowing the White Earth Nation to sell cannabis outside tribal lands.
It is the tribe's second such cannabis dispensary. Their first opened in Moorhead in May.
St. Cloud was chosen for its central location in Minnesota, Lee said.
It's been almost two years since pot became legal in Minnesota. Selling it, on the other hand, has been another story.
"I'm very excited," said Courtney Haedt from St. Cloud. "This has been needed for a long time. I'm a medical professional, so I've been an advocate for this for a long time."
Product safety testing is the same at Waabigwn Mashkiki as state-licensed business guidelines.
"I'm just excited that it's here, excited that adult use is finally available to the customers," Lee said.
Employees said plans are in the works for a Rochester dispensary that could open later this summer. Fairbanks hopes to also open locations in Mankato and Brooklyn Center.
"It means that people are going to have what they need, I mean, medical marijuana and marijuana in general is a beautiful thing for people to be able to utilize," said Haedt.