.jpg)
While there are still some legal hurdles to climb, the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa could be getting into the cannabis business by the time fall rolls around.
To help expedite that process, a meeting has been called with the Bois Forte Tribal Council and its leadership team on Monday, August 5th in Nett Lake. The meeting is not open to the public, but band members will be given updates as soon as a game plan is formulated.
The news comes at a time when many band members have expressed their concerns that the process has moved too slowly.
District I Representative Shane Drift echoed those concerns at a Bois Forte Development Corporation (BFDC) meeting on July 25th at Fortune Bay Resort Casino.
“We need to get a plan in place and vote on it,” said Drift. “We gotta get going on this. We are way behind—way behind... No more waiting around—we gotta get it done.”
According to Bois Forte’s Tribal Attorney Jeff Holth, earlier this year, the Bois Forte RTC adopted a comprehensive cannabis regulatory law that established the framework for regulating cannabis operations owned by the Band.
“The law establishes a Cannabis Regulatory Commission and covers topics such as licensing, rules for operation, inspections, enforcement, etc..,” said Holth. “A key purpose of the regulatory act is to ensure that Band owned cannabis operations are conducted safely and transparently for the benefit of customers and employees.”
Holth added that before any Band owned cannabis business can go live on the Reservation, the business needs to be licensed by the Bois Forte Cannabis Regulatory Commission. He said it requires the business to submit a licensing application that includes business information and safety standards among other things.
“Once licensed, the business must comply with all licensing standards and safety regulations at all times,” said Holth, who added that business employees must also pass a background check before beginning employment. “The Cannabis Regulatory Commission has ongoing oversight authority to ensure that Band owned cannabis enterprises are conducting business in compliance with all laws and regulations.”
BFDC CEO Drew Ebert said there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes work going on but cautioned that getting all the pieces together to open a marijuana dispensary can be a slow process.
He has been working with officials from Minnesota Roots to get their expertise and guidance as Bois Forte prepares to enter what it hopes to be a lucrative business venture. “Minnesota Roots has been critical in helping us establish policy and operations, introductions to vendors for all of our needs, they assist in negotiations for all things related to the dispensary, grow, and product,” said Ebert.
Some initial concepts have Bois Forte exploring two sites for a dispensary. The one that may have the most potential is Ebert’s plan to utilize green space near Fortune Bay’s RV Park. The area is a former service road just to the north of the RV Park. Depending on what direction the Tribal Council takes at the August 5th meeting, Ebert plans to meet with contractors to figure out prep work, electrical needs, etc.
“We are securing plans and contract to order a dispensary trailer that is roughly 35’x60’,” said Ebert, who added that it is too early to give estimates on the construction costs of this trailer.
Ebert said he believes that there will probably be a need for three to four employees, plus a manager at the Fortune Bay site.
The other location and perhaps just the jumpstart it needs, is the Nett Lake C Store. The idea, of course, is to draw traffic to the convenience store, which given its remote location, has always struggled to turn a profit.
If the C Store location is selected, the plan would be to repurpose the laundromat into a small retail store where customers can buy an assortment of products.
Ebert said those products would be similar to the ones sold at Fortune Bay’s location including real cannabis flower, pre-rolls, gummies, drinks, legal mushroom options, and more.
Like the Fortune Bay site, Ebert believes there will be a need to have three to four employees, and the manager at the Fortune Bay site would also serve as the manager for this proposed site.
The million-dollar question is when will Bois Forte officially open its doors to the dispensaries?
“Currently, it would appear to be around the end of September, but we are hopeful that it will happen sooner,” said Ebert. “We plan to have the Nett Lake site operating around the same time frame, but it could be sooner.”
While Ebert’s game plan for Fortune Bay and Nett Lake will bring in revenue for Bois Forte, the big payout would be once a grow operation is opened. That would require a much larger investment by Bois Forte, but the Return On Investment could make a huge impact down the line. And like the work done thus far, Ebert said Minnesota Roots will be there to provide its expertise.
“We have an ongoing contract with them, and we will continue working with them until that venture is off and running,” said Ebert. “Right now our focus is the dispensary.”
