Hundreds visit Red Lake’s NativeCare for first day of recreational marijuana sales – InForum – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

RED LAKE, Minn. — Tuesday marked a historic occasion for the

Red Lake Nation

and the state of Minnesota as people from near and far visited Red Lake’s NativeCare dispensary for the first day of recreational marijuana sales in the state.

As the first dispensary to open up shop in the entire state, several hundred eager patrons waited in line for a chance to step inside NativeCare once 11 a.m. rolled around.

Foot traffic inside the dispensary was limited to a few people at a time while everyone else waited outside. While initially met with blue skies, a torrential downpour dampened the day by the afternoon.

However, the rain did not extinguish the excitement, as hardly anybody stepped out of line and instead held tarps above their heads, determined to keep their hard-earned spots.

“I was handing out tar paper, trash bags, rain suits, anything we had available,” Red Lake Tribal Secretary Sam Strong said after the rain subsided, “but nobody moved. We had a canopy to stand under, and they didn’t care.”