Native American Weed: A documentary in progress by Sarah Weston, a member of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe

Anticipation is building for the first marijuana resort in Indian Country and the United States.

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is converting the Royal River Family Entertainment Center on the reservation into a 10,000 square-foot marijuana and entertainment lounge. A crowd of 1,000 is expected for the opening night on December 31, 2015.

“Aside from making money, this is about sovereignty,” council member Kenny Weston told Indian Country Today. “We have sovereignty and we have to assert it. The goal for many tribes is to become self-sustaining. Revenue from the marijuana venture will help us to get closer to this.”

According to ICT, the tribe will offer strains of marijuana for $12.50 to $15 per gram. Only one gram will be sold at a time and each purchase will be accompanied by a package with a bar code. Additional one-gram purchases will require the return of the package with the matching bar code, ICT reported

“This is as clean and professional as it can get," Joseph Hunt, the vice president of Monarch America, the tribe's partner, told ICT.

The tribal council voted 5 to 1 in June to legalize marijuana on the reservation. The council also adopted 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:
Santee Sioux Assert Tribal Sovereignty, Open First Marijuana Resort (Indian Country Today 10/6)

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

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