FLANDREAU, SOUTH DAKOTA — Forget gambling, even native American tribes are going green … green as in marijuana green. The Santee Sioux tribe of South Dakota’s recently announced a plan to open the country’s first “Cannabis Resort” which the tribe bills as an “adult playground.”
Earlier this year the U.S. Justice Department reportedly issued a statement saying they would no longer prosecute Native American tribes for the possession and sale of cannabis, but there are conflicting reports that Federal raids in certain states are still being conducted.
Legal casinos located on tribal lands have long been an income source for displaced Native Americans, but with the economy slowing and casino numbers already high, tribes are looking to another high for revenue: cannabis.
The planned cannabis resort will include arcade games, food and beverages, a disco and of course legal marijuana, a potentially winning combination that a tribal representative estimated could earn the Santee Sioux as much as US$2 million per month.
No specifics on exactly when the resort will open were given, but a report in PeacefulWarriors.net claims the government has already put in place strict guidelines that include visitors being allowed to purchase just one gram of marijuana at a time.
If they want a refill, the customer will have to bring the original baggie back and have its barcode scanned before being allowed to purchase another gram.
Although not all native American tribes have a history of cannabis use, many do and it has long been considered medicinal by many groups of indigenous peoples.