Minnesotans who have waited patiently for the opportunity to legally buy cannabis near the metro area received a new option Monday when Island Peži, the Prairie Island Indian Community’s new adult-use retail marijuana dispensary, officially opened its doors to customers. Located across the parking lot from Treasure Island Resort & Casino on the outskirts of Red Wing, Island Peži (pronounced pay-ZHEE, the Dakota word for grass) the store is about 40 miles from the Twin Cities. The tribe plans to mark the store’s grand opening Saturday with a daylong celebration featuring vendors food trucks and live music.
“We’re very excited about this opening and I think it’s a great opportunity for us to showcase the hard work and the dedication to running a safe and regulated [business],” said Blake Johnson, a tribal member and president of Prairie Island Cannabis Holdings Inc., Island Peži’s tribally owned parent company, in an interview last week.
The dispensary offers a range of cannabis products, including flower supplied by White Earth Nation’s tribally owned Waabigwan Mashkiki cultivation facility, as well as an assortment of hemp-derived gummies, beverages, topicals and oils from Minnesota businesses.
A steady stream of curious customers visited the dispensary, which shares a
