The Prairie Island Cannabis Campus has officially opened on 13 acres of land located south of the Twin Cities metro area. This initiative marks a new entry for the Prairie Island Indian Community into Minnesota’s burgeoning cannabis marketplace.
Blake Johnson, a tribal member and the president of Prairie Island CBH Inc., expressed mixed feelings about the venture, stating it is both “exciting” and “nerve-racking.” He hopes that the economic benefits from cannabis sales will lead to positive changes for the community’s more than 1,100 tribal members. Johnson emphasized the importance of providing essential services such as health care and education, noting that this opportunity allows the community to grow and plan for “the next seven generations.”
Although financial projections remain undisclosed, Johnson referred to the venture as a “significant opportunity” for generating income. Operations manager Yadel Mulugeta highlighted the campus’s commitment to organic farming practices. He stated that their goal is to “make this community that we are working with very grateful,” emphasizing efforts to reduce external impacts and environmental footprint.
Most of the soil used for growing cannabis at the campus is sourced locally. The cultivation process takes about 90 to 100 days, after which the flowers can be used for smoking or transformed into edible products like gummies. Cannabis products are packaged on-site and sold at the Island Peži store, contributing to job creation in the area.
As Minnesota celebrates a year and a half since cannabis legalization, only a few tribal communities are currently involved in the industry. This limited participation is due to delays in the state’s licensing system, which has hindered other businesses from entering the market. Other tribal communities such as the Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation, and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe have also initiated cannabis enterprises.
