Walz signs Minnesota’s second cannabis compact, opening new partnership opportunities

New cannabis shops may soon be coming to more areas of Minnesota.

Gov. Tim Walz signed a cannabis compact — the state’s second — with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe on Wednesday, which allows the tribal nation to open and run up to eight off-reservation marijuana dispensaries.

The agreement, announced by the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), comes four months after a nearly identical compact with the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

RELATED: A big step for the cannabis industry in Minnesota with new dispensary in Moorhead | Watch coverage of the new White Earth dispensary below

A big step for the cannabis industry in Minnesota with new dispensary in MoorheadA big step for the cannabis industry in Minnesota with new dispensary in Moorhead

“This is an exciting development in the rollout of Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis market,” OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel said in a press release. “The many newly licensed businesses preparing to open their doors to adult-use customers are eager to partner with Mille Lacs. This compact will open up unique opportunities that benefit the state, Mille Lacs, state-licensed businesses, and Minnesota cannabis consumers. We look forward to seeing these unique and innovative partnerships develop and flourish across the state.”

“This compact represents a critical step forward in what respectful government-to-government partnership looks like,” Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Chief Executive Virgil Wind added. “By signing this compact, the Mille Lacs Band is demonstrating what tribal leadership and state partnership can achieve together. We are building a model of responsible regulation that respects sovereignty and benefits all.”

While it’s unclear exactly how long it could take for the Band to open any retail locations — they are allowed one per city and three per county — Lake Leaf, the Band’s marijuana enterprise, is already operating on the reservation and recently opened two temporary retail locations in Onamia and Hinckley.

Lake Leaf products are also already being sold to other tribal dispensaries, according to Wind, and it can now pursue plans to reach other licensed dispensaries across the state.

Read the full compact below or by clicking here.

Compact_Mille_Lacs_Band_of_Ojibwe_and_Minnesota_tcm1202-705070Download
The post Walz signs Minnesota’s second cannabis compact, opening new partnership opportunities first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.