United States' first marijuana resort to be opened in South Dakota

Stew
Stew Members, Moderators, Writer Posts: 52,234 Regulator
Project could make Santee Sioux tribe up to $2m profit a month, with work under way on the growing facility and first cigarettes on sale on New Year’s Eve

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The Santee Sioux is opening the nation’s first marijuana resort on its reservation in South Dakota. The experiment could offer a new money-making model for tribes nationwide seeking economic opportunities beyond casinos.

Santee Sioux leaders plan to grow their own marijuana and sell it in a smoking lounge that will include a nightclub, arcade games, bar and food service and, eventually, slot machines and an outdoor music venue.
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“We want it to be an adult playground,” the tribal president, Anthony Reider, said. “There’s nowhere else in America that has something like this.”

The tribe said the project could generate up to $2m a month in profit, and work is already under way on the growing facility. The first marijuana cigarettes are expected to go on sale 31 December at a New Year’s Eve party.

The legalization of marijuana on the Santee Sioux land came in June, months after the Department of Justice outlined a new policy that allows Indian tribes to grow and sell marijuana under the same conditions as some states.

Many tribes are hesitant to jump into the marijuana business. But the profit potential has attracted the interest of many other tribes, just as the debut of slot machines and table games did almost 27 years ago.

“The vast majority of tribes have little to no economic opportunity,” said Blake Trueblood, business development director at the national center for American Indian enterprise development. For those tribes, “this is something that you might look at and say, ‘We’ve got to do something’.”

A marijuana resort open to the public has never been tried in the US. Even in states such as Colorado and Washington, where marijuana is legal, consumption in public places is generally forbidden, although pro-marijuana activists want to loosen restrictions. Colorado tolerates a handful of private marijuana clubs.

Unlike the vast reservations in western South Dakota, where poverty is widespread, the little-known Flandreau Santee Sioux Reservation is on 5000 acres (2000 hectares) of gently rolling land along the Big Sioux River.

The Santee Sioux hope to use marijuana in the same way many tribes rely on casinos: to make money for community services and to provide a monthly income to tribal members. Existing enterprises support family homes, a senior living community, a clinic and a community center offering after-school programs.

Reider hopes marijuana profits can fund more housing, an addiction treatment center and an overhaul of the clinic.

The prosperity that marijuana could bring to Indian country comes with huge caveats. The drug remains illegal under federal law, and only Congress can change its status. The administration that moves into the White House in 2017 could overturn the Department of Justice’s decision that made marijuana cultivation possible on tribal lands.


http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/30/united-states-first-marijuana-resort-to-be-opened-in-south-dakota?channel=us

Comments

  • Will Munny
    Will Munny Members Posts: 30,199 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I drive around them south dakota reservations but that one is just west of the MN border lololololol!!!


  • Lou Cypher
    Lou Cypher Members Posts: 52,521 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Such an awesome thing in such a terrible state. I got a certificate of indian blood though ima get a job there. Maybe. If they pay alright.
  • The Prime Minister
    The Prime Minister Members Posts: 2,883 ✭✭✭✭✭
    False: We've had "wellness centers" in Denver for years. For example budandbfast.com/about
  • not_osirus_jenkins
    not_osirus_jenkins Members, Banned Users Posts: 3,670 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ? !!! This was my idea bruhs, I swear it on my little one! Like those cigar tours. Show them where we grow, how we grow, different stages of the plant. Cutting, trimming, curing, burping. And let them roll their own joints like they let you do tour cigars. A community smoke room where everyone from the lodge comes to meet and mingle, a bar, and a restaurant that served weed infused and non weed infused food. ? ? ? ? !!!! This money not rolling in fast enough for me to start on these projects and ventures. Only happiness is native Americans doing it and not cacs.. I'm looking for investors everybody. If you want more info I can send you the business plan. Just DM me.
  • Billy_Poncho
    Billy_Poncho Members Posts: 22,382 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2015
    This is dope, not a weedhead like that, but I'd def go
  • So ILL
    So ILL Members Posts: 16,507 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Whoooooo living in Minnesota finally pays off


    I got some indian in me too im from the Smackahoe tribe

    Descendant tribe of the Wishaniggawud.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Regulator
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • blackrain
    blackrain Members, Moderators Posts: 27,269 Regulator
    Why would something this wonderful be in South Dakota? That ain't even fair
  • CP203
    CP203 Members Posts: 10,421 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Smh white people getting paid off all this they signed a contract with some Denver company to run grow operations for ten years
  • black caesar
    black caesar Members Posts: 12,036 ✭✭✭✭✭
    For you guys that learned to grow weed, you better set up shop now.
  • nj2089
    nj2089 Members Posts: 4,283 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wtf who lives in South Dakota? Seems like it's nothing but farm land there
  • optimistic
    optimistic Members Posts: 659 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The South Dakota prisons are getting empty.they gotta attract ? somehow
  • TheGOAT
    TheGOAT Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 15,916 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Lou_Cypher wrote: »
    Such an awesome thing in such a terrible state. I got a certificate of indian blood though ima get a job there. Maybe. If they pay alright.

    @lou_cypher whats your tribal affiliation?
  • BenjaminE
    BenjaminE Members Posts: 3,679 ✭✭✭✭✭
    TheGOAT wrote: »
    Lou_Cypher wrote: »
    Such an awesome thing in such a terrible state. I got a certificate of indian blood though ima get a job there. Maybe. If they pay alright.

    @lou_cypher whats your tribal affiliation?

    Eskimo...
  • TheGOAT
    TheGOAT Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 15,916 ✭✭✭✭✭
    optimistic wrote: »
    The South Dakota prisons are getting empty.they gotta attract ? somehow

    Indians are the ? in the dakotas.

    White folk even call them prairie-?
  • Lou Cypher
    Lou Cypher Members Posts: 52,521 ✭✭✭✭✭
    TheGOAT wrote: »
    Lou_Cypher wrote: »
    Such an awesome thing in such a terrible state. I got a certificate of indian blood though ima get a job there. Maybe. If they pay alright.

    @lou_cypher whats your tribal affiliation?

    Sioux/Crow/Iroquois

    Certificate of blood is through the crow tribe. Im part of the ? clan lmao.
  • HundredEyes
    HundredEyes Members Posts: 2,959 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Lol, America is looking more and more appealing, dont know if yall realize it yet but the weed/hasj laws are better there than in Holland(growing more than 5 plants at home is illegal in Holland, thus all the green houses are illegal, weird set up).

    move your azz to Colorado or whereever that ? is legal and open your own coffeeshop man, ? most if not all coffeeshop owners in Holland are millionaires, rich af...go get that money man!
  • Lou Cypher
    Lou Cypher Members Posts: 52,521 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I wanted to open a weed infused restaurant. ? would be dope. Sure cops would post up outside waiting for folks to drive home though lol.
  • TheGOAT
    TheGOAT Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 15,916 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Lou_Cypher wrote: »
    TheGOAT wrote: »
    Lou_Cypher wrote: »
    Such an awesome thing in such a terrible state. I got a certificate of indian blood though ima get a job there. Maybe. If they pay alright.

    @lou_cypher whats your tribal affiliation?

    Sioux/Crow/Iroquois

    Certificate of blood is through the crow tribe. Im part of the ? clan lmao.

    Nice much love to the Crow

    Im Hidatsa (prairie chicken clan)

    Crow were once hidatsa back n the day.

    We might be distant relatives
  • Lou Cypher
    Lou Cypher Members Posts: 52,521 ✭✭✭✭✭
    TheGOAT wrote: »
    Lou_Cypher wrote: »
    TheGOAT wrote: »
    Lou_Cypher wrote: »
    Such an awesome thing in such a terrible state. I got a certificate of indian blood though ima get a job there. Maybe. If they pay alright.

    @lou_cypher whats your tribal affiliation?

    Sioux/Crow/Iroquois

    Certificate of blood is through the crow tribe. Im part of the ? clan lmao.

    Nice much love to the Crow

    Im Hidatsa (prairie chicken clan)

    Crow were once hidatsa back n the day.

    We might be distant relatives

    Dope man.

    I aint even know i was native american until I was 13 or so. I got by with just the minimum amount of blood lol only 1/8th. The cherokee folk will accept and give damn near anyone a CIB. The hospital i work at is a Indian Health Services funded hospital. The Alaskan Natives have it WAY better than the Native Americans in terms of benefits. And they got oil fields for damn near every tribe up here that they give quarterly dividends to shareholders and some folks will make 40k a year just having these shares. ? me off. They just fly into town, get ? faced and live off their shareholder checks.

    But I see cherokee indians that are only 1/32nd of indian blood and the cherokee accept them and give them full benefits haha.