Tribes were the seeds for the state’s budding industry and have become crucial suppliers for dispensaries across Minnesota. But the most consequential benefit for tribes is the ability to operate their own dispensaries beyond reservation boundaries. No other state allows this.
Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) said other states and tribal nations are looking to mirror its approach — including Virginia, Wisconsin, New York, Connecticut and California, where tribal cannabis is restricted to reservation lands.
Some in the industry have complained tribes have an unfair advantage, and there remain critics of the cannabis business in general. But advocates say tribes are finally getting a chance to diversify their economies beyond casinos.
