PRAIRIE ISLAND, Minn. — After over a yearlong wait since the state of Minnesota approved recreational cannabis use, hundreds of people stood in line for the opening of the first recreational cannabis dispensary in Southeast Minnesota.
The Prairie Island Indian Community opened Island Peži with flower, pre-roll, vaporizer and edible products on Saturday, June 29. The name Peži means grass in the Dakota language. The store, near Welch and Red Wing, Minnesota, sits at 6030 Sturgeon Lake Road, adjacent to the Dakota Station convenience store and Treasure Island Resort & Casino.
On Saturday morning, people steadily joined the long line wrapping the parking lot towards the casino. A few people wore T-shirts with phrases such as “want to get high,” “welcome to marijuana country” and “enjoy cannabis.” The store prepared for 12 hours of customers throughout the day, along with food trucks, music and products for sale outside the store.
“With the supply in Minnesota being super new, it’s challenging to find some partners, so for us being able to do tribal trade with White Earth is huge. A long time ago tribes used to do that and our people used to do that is trade back and forth. So we think