The first recreational cannabis dispensary off tribal land in Minnesota is expected to open as early as this weekend. White Earth Nation’s cannabis company, Waabigwan Mashkiki, will run the store in Moorhead. 

This comes after White Earth and the state signed an agreement earlier this week. It’s the first of its kind in the United States, because it recognizes the authority of a tribal nation to regulate dispensaries off reservation land.  

Mary Jane Oatman is executive director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association. She’s an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a descendant of the Delaware Tribe. Oatman spoke to Minnesota Now We about how the deal fits into the wider scope of tribal cannabis agreements around the country.