The Tulalip Tribes of Washington state August 10 opened Remedy Tulalip a recreational marijuana store that they project will make $20 million in profits annually.
Jonathan Teeters, assistant general manager of the store, told Indian Country Today “I’m excited for the tribe. This really is sheer excitement. Of course there is anxiety with that comes along with launching a new venture and 70 new employees. This has been years in the making for the tribe and I have been on the project for nine months. We are almost there.”
Tulalip Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO) is operating the store, which is considered to be the first, or among the first recreational cannabis dispensaries to open on an Indian reservation. It is one of four tribes in the state selling the product, which is still considered a controlled substance by the federal government. It expects that at least some of the 15 million who visit the reservation to play at the casino will partake of the new product. It is aiming to dominate the market.
Remedy Tulalip joins the tribe’s other retail complex, Quil Ceda Village. Tribal council member Les Parks, a longtime member, told Indian Country Today, “It’s been a long time coming for Tulalip. We are a tribe very astute in business matters and over the years we have become well-acquainted on how to take on business the right way. We could have jumped out of the gate very quickly and opened the first store in the state, but we were wisely deliberate in our negotiations with the state of Washington.”
He added, “We took our time because we wanted to do things the Tulalip way. We are going to open a store that is very unique to Washington. We already get 15 million visitors a year coming through our Quil Ceda Village, and that number is going to jump dramatically now with a cannabis store.”
The store hopes to become the supplier to license vendors, but with the hope of partnership with as many Native-American businesses as possible.
Parks commented, “We have a buying strategy that places an emphasis on smaller brands and have a section of our budget dedicated to purchases from Native American owned or affiliated brands. We are featuring this in our store and it is part of the story we sell.”
Teeters says he expects other tribes will be watching what his tribe does and how well it succeeds. This inspires them to pay attention to detail and training. Many tribal members have never worked in a retail store.
The tribe must deal with myriad issues such as sales tax (which the tribe will collect,) where to bank and how to use tribal sovereignty to make things easier.
Jennifer Canfield, Dena’ina Athabascan, who operates the Green Elephant cannabis dispensary in Juneau, Alaska warns of the growing group of what she calls, “carpetbagger consultants and experts charging fees.” While there are legitimate experts, there are also those wanting to pick up quick profits in what some call a “green rush. Canfield added, “Just like the story goes, in the California Gold Rush, those who got richest were the ones selling the picks and axes.”
