BY: JESSICA BEUKER
Back in June, the United States Department of Justice granted Indian tribes permission to grow and sell marijuana on Santee Sioux land in South Dakota. The Santee Sioux tribe operates a number of successful businesses including a casino, hotel and buffalo ranch, and by the end of the year they will be able to add another business to the list – a marijuana resort.
The yet-to-be named stoner paradise will be the nation’s first marijuana resort and will offer over 30 different strains such as, “Gorilla Glue,” “Shot Glass” and “Big Blue Cheese.” Leaders plan to grow their own pot and have already started the process.
The resort will feature a nightclub, arcade games, bars, a restaurant, slot machines and an outdoor music venue. “We want it to be an adult playground,” said tribal President Anthony Reider to AP News. “There’s nowhere else in America that has something like this.”
According to AP News, the Santee Sioux tribe hopes to use weed in the same way many other tribes use casinos – to generate revenue for members and community services. The profits could fund more housing, a clinic, a daycare and an addiction treatment centre.
The resort will also be made to follow strict security measures. The marijuana cannot leave the reservation and every plant has to have a bar code. It will be sold in sealed one-gram packages for $12 to $15. Consumers will only be able to purchase one gram at a time, and must bring the barcoded package back in order to purchase another one.
If successful, the project could generate up to $2 million a month in profit. The first joints will go on sale December 31 at the grand opening New Year’s Eve party.
Sources: thesmokingbud.com, nbcchicago.com, gazettenet.com, lovecannabis.com