Pubdate: Wed, 30 Sep 2015
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2015 The Associated Press
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Regina Garcia Cano, The Associated Press

SOUTH DAKOTA TRIBE SETTING UP NATION'S FIRST MARIJUANA RESORT

FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) - The Santee Sioux tribe has already proven its 
business acumen, running a successful casino, a 120-room hotel and a 
240-head buffalo ranch on the plains of South Dakota.

But those enterprises have not been immune to competition and the 
lingering effects of the Great Recession, so the small tribe of 400 
is undertaking a new venture - opening the nation's first marijuana 
resort on its reservation.

Santee Sioux leaders plan to grow their own pot and sell it in a 
smoking lounge that includes a nightclub, arcade games, bar and food 
service and eventually, slot machines and an outdoor music venue.

"We want it to be an adult playground," tribal President Anthony 
Reider said. "There's nowhere else in America that has something like this."

The project, according to the tribe, could generate up to $2 million 
a month in profit, and work is already under way on the growing 
facility. The first joints are expected to go on sale Dec. 31 at a 
New Year's Eve party.

The legalization of marijuana on Santee Sioux land came in June, 
months after the U.S. Justice Department 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 pot business. And not 
everyone in Flandreau, about 45 miles north of Sioux Falls, believes 
in the project. 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.' "

Flandreau's indoor-marijuana farm is set against a backdrop of 
soybean fields. If not for a security booth outside, the building 
could pass as an industrial warehouse.

Inside, men are working to grow more than 30 different strains of the 
finicky plant, including those with names like "Gorilla Glue," "Shot 
Glass" and "Big Blue Cheese."

Pot plants are prone to mildew and mold, picky about temperature and 
pH level and intolerant of tap water. So the Santee Sioux have hired 
Denver-based consulting firm Monarch America to teach them the basics.

Even in states such as Colorado and Washington, where pot is fully 
legal, consumption in public places is generally forbidden, although 
pro-pot activists are seeking to loosen those 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 5,000 acres of gently rolling land along the Big Sioux River. 
Trailer homes are scarce and houses have well-trimmed lawns.

The Santee Sioux hope to use pot in the same way that many tribes 
rely on casinos - to make money for community services and to provide 
a monthly income to tribal members. The 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. Some 
members want a 24/7 day-care center for casino workers.

The marijuana cannot leave the reservation, and every plant in 
Flandreau's growing facility will have a bar code. After being 
harvested and processed, it will be sold in sealed 1-gram packages 
for $12.50 to $15 - about the same price as the illegal market in 
Sioux Falls, according to law enforcement. Consumers will be allowed 
to buy only 1 gram - enough for two to four joints - at a time.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom