Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe President Anthony Reider. Photo from Facebook

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is preparing to go where no one in Indian Country, or the entire United States for that matter, has gone.

The tribe is opening what the Associated Press said will be the first marijuana resort in the nation. The facility -- which is located next to the Royal River Casino -- will offer a place for people to buy and use the drug, as well as enjoy other entertainment amenities.

"We want it to be an adult playground," President Anthony Reider told the AP. "There's nowhere else in America that has something like this."

The resort is expected to open on December 31. Plans moved quickly after the tribal council voted 5 to 1 in June to legalize marijuana and approve a comprehensive set of laws and policies to address the sale and use of the drug.

Marijuana otherwise remains illegal under federal law. But the Department of Justice opened the door to legal marijuana in Indian Country with the 2014 Wilkinson memo.

The state of South Dakota, however, claims that non-Indians who use marijuana on the reservation can still face prosecution under state law.

Get the Story:
South Dakota tribe to open nation's 1st marijuana resort (AP 9/29)

Relevant Documents:
Department of Justice Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)

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