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Even though recreational marijuana has been legal in Minnesota since Aug. 1, there are currently just two locations where adults 21 and older can legally purchase cannabis flower in the state, both on tribal lands. The Star Tribune visited Red Lake Nation when recreational sales began there, so on a sunny day in late September, I drove four hours northwest of the Twin Cities to get a look inside White Earth Nation’s cannabis program.

The White Earth Band of Chippewa operates a grow facility and dispensary in Mahnomen called Waabigwan Mashkiki (“flower medicine” in Ojibwe). The operation is supervised by general manager Alexander Oxendine, 52, a tribal member who grew up in the Bay Area but moved to White Earth with his wife and five children during the pandemic. He joined Waabigwan Mashkiki in September 2022. A longtime mixed-martial arts enthusiast with a mohawk and a background in sports film production (and who, notably, no longer partakes in cannabis), Oxendine’s résumé might not be what you’d expect for the person running a large legal marijuana business. But Reddit users who frequent the r/mntrees forum (which focuses on weed in Minnesota) have taken note of the photos of frosty, colorful buds coming from White Earth. 

Two of the cannabis strains grown at Waabigwan Mashkiki are Tropicana Cherry, left, and Sunset Fritter. - Matt DeLong, Star Tribune

Oxendine gave me a tour of Waabigwan Mashkiki and discussed White Earth’s current business and plans for the future. The tribe declined to share any revenue or tax figures from Waabigwan Mashkiki (the tribe charges a 10% tax on recreational cannabis sales). 

Here’s what I saw.

Grow facility

The grow facility occupies about half of a 29,500 square-foot warehouse, with two 2,500-square-foot flower rooms that house about 1,000 plants each; a large vegetative (or veg, for short) room; a clone room, and a vault for curing and storing flower. The plants grow under more than 200 thousand-watt LED lights. Oxendine said he plans to expand to the rest of the building, converting the veg room into a two-tiered flower room and adding two additional, two-tiered flower rooms, as well as a processing area for rosin extraction and manufacturing infused products. “We’ll be able to add 60% to our capacity,” he said. 

Grow style

Waabigwan Mashkiki grows in Pro-Mix, a peat-based potting mix, with salt-based hydroponic nutrients. Oxendine said he plans to switch to coco coir, his preferred soilless medium, in the near future. Plants are started in batches from seed and “pheno hunted,” or grown out to find those with the most desirable phenotypes — how the plant expresses its genetic traits in response to environmental conditions. Cuttings (or clones) are taken from the best plants and kept in the vegetative stage for months under 18 or more hours of light per day. These “mothers” supply clones to fill the flower rooms. Clones spend about two weeks in the vegetative stage before they are “flipped” to flower — when the light cycle is changed from 18 or more hours of light to 12 hours per day to induce flowering. They will spend 8 ½ to 9 ½ weeks in a flower room before they are ready to be harvested, dried and cured and finally, packaged.

The entire process from clone to packaged product takes about four months, Oxendine said.

The Amish-made Waabigwan Mashkiki dispensary in Mahnomen. - Matt DeLong, Star Tribune

Dispensary

The retail store currently occupies a 16- by 36-foot wooden cabin that was custom-built by Oxendine’s Amish neighbors to house White Earth’s medical dispensary. Inside the cabin, displays of cannabis buds, various T-shirts and other swag line the walls as dispensary technicians assist customers. Transactions and order fulfillment are handled by additional staff in a small room in the back separated by a two-way mirror, and product is delivered to the client in a metal drawer. 

The tribe has purchased a new dispensary facility that will offer about 2,500-square feet of retail space, with room to add a consumption lounge and drive-thru. Oxendine said he hopes the expansion of the grow facility and dispensary will be completed in spring 2024.

Strains

Waabigwan Mashkiki’s dispensary stocks about eight strains on a daily basis, with several more on the way. Soap and Tropicana Cherry, both sativa-dominant (typically described as having an uplifting or energetic high) strains, as well as the indica-dominant (more stoney and narcotic, often referred to as “couch lock”) Sunset Fritter are the top sellers. Soap and Tropicana Cherry were sold out when I visited, but Oxendine said he expects to restock within a few weeks, along with a new strain.

The big question on your mind may be, “so how is the weed?” We’ll get to that in just a bit.

Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips or new feature ideas to nuggets@startribune.com

Tropicana Cherry plants (center) display their purple and gold hues about six weeks into the flowering stage at Waabigwan Mashkiki’s grow facility in Mahnomen. - Matt DeLong, Star Tribune

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General Manager, Waabigwan Mashkiki

Was that for the black market?

It was the 99-plant thing. You get your medical card and you’re able to grow 99 plants. We were always within that realm. And dispensaries would buy it. It was, I guess, the ultimate grey market. 

How has your clientele at Waabigwan Mashkiki changed since Aug. 1?

It’s steady. We get all the young folks, but I was surprised by how many older folks we’re getting. I see older ladies coming in here and buying weight. I just envision them rolling up a doob. You don’t think grandma’s gonna go smoke a blunt, but …

Are you tracking where your customers are coming from?

There’s a good percentage from South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin, and the bulk are from Minnesota. 

Do you see a lot of people coming from the Twin Cities? 

Yeah. That’s usually their Saturday drive. A scenic drive, come up here and get their smoke.

How many employees do you have?

Twenty-four here in the [grow] facility, eight over [in the dispensary]. Being a tribally owned business, we have a tribal preference in hiring. We’ve got a huge quality crew here, 90%-plus Native Americans. This is also providing not just jobs, but potential careers. The casino is the big employer, but we want to do the same here. We try to think of it as a big family, to teach and learn and grow and do our thing together. That’s kind of what I’ve wanted to do with this whole place.

How are you testing your products?

There’s one facility that’s geared up, Legend Technical Services, here in Minnesota. So we use the state testing facility. Being on the reservation, we have our own commission. We abide by what our commission says, we are completely separate from the state. We could have just done whatever we want, willy-nilly. We didn’t. We test up to state standards. We have almost 100 security cameras. We have fire suppression. We have clean standards. Everything’s up to state standards. We did that so that in the end, we can show we’re doing everything right. So there are no questions.

Are there any strains you’re particularly proud of?

Soap, of course. Tropicana Cherry. Sunset Fritter. Those are all good to go. All of our strains are really good.

Are you planning to offer a wider array of products?

Obviously, we’re looking to get into extraction and concentrates. But there’s not enough flower to meet the demand. So we’re looking to expand to get more biomass, potentially outdoors, to feed the extraction machines that we will eventually get. And then we’ll have those products. 

How are you thinking about the future when all these businesses across the state come online?

Our strategy is to grow the best cannabis in Minnesota, and to market it and brand it as such. That’s it. Have the best boutique style at a larger scale. We're going to take advantage of this head start we got and show people that we make a good product and it's regulated. 

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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An occasional discussion of cannabis products

Waabigwan Mashkiki, Mahnomen

Price: $48.18 + tax for 3.5 grams

Our judges were:

Below are excerpts from our conversation about Sunset Fritter. We’ll have much more about the Legacy Cup and its founder in next week’s newsletter. 

Aroma

O’Donoghue: It’s a little earthy because it’s got that creamy, almost creamed corn, and then it’s got some umami like a mushroom. It immediately goes into butter for me.

Alfaro: I also smell a little fruitiness in here, too. I will say my body likes this. 

Appearance

O’Donoghue (examining the buds under magnification with a jeweler’s loupe): The trichome [crystalline, cannabinoid-rich glands that coat the flower] stalks and heads are there. That’s what we’re looking for. It’s not tumbled, nothing’s been messed with. That looks very clean to me. 

Flavor (before lighting)

Alfaro: It’s still got the fruity flavor. I can’t get over that cream.

O’Donoghue: I get that creaminess a little bit and a back end of the fruit comes out now. It’s lemon. It’s sharp on the back end, so not quite like zest but almost like Pledge because I get a little bit of gas, you get the creaminess that comes through.

Flavor (after lighting)

O’Donoghue: It’s not harsh. The fruit transfers well into the smoke, which tells me that’s a good job. 

Alfaro: It doesn’t taste dirty. It’s enjoyable.

Effects

Alfaro: It’s a good high. It’s clean. I feel uplifted, even though it’s an indica.

What kind of activities would it be good for?

O’Donoghue: I might get some office work done. Maybe fold some laundry. Tend to the plants. 

Alfaro: Honestly, for me I would just be doing stuff. I can get my stuff done. It’s a productive weed, it’s functional. Not too much. I’m a mom of three, so I need a functional weed that I can work out with and that I can run my business with, especially with my pain. 

Would you buy it?

O’Donoghue: I would definitely purchase this. 

Alfaro: I would. And I’m pretty picky. I’d add it to my collection.

Answers to questions from readers

Q: Can I order marijuana via U.S. mail from other legal recreational states?

A: Not legally. Because cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, shipping products containing more than 0.3% THC by weight through the U.S. Postal Service, both within a state’s borders and across state lines, is a federal crime. 

Q: If I live in Minnesota, can I order cannabis online from Native American dispensaries located in Minnesota and get it delivered?

A: Not currently. While the new marijuana law does include a license for cannabis delivery services, the Office of Cannabis Management — which is responsible for licensing cannabis businesses in Minnesota — is still being set up, so no cannabis delivery services have been licensed by the state yet. Alexander Oxendine of Waabigwan Mashkiki said he currently has no plans for delivery. 

Q: Will I be able to buy medical cannabis in Minnesota if I have an out-of-state medical card?

A: No. Minnesota’s medical cannabis program is only open to patients who are legal Minnesota residents who have been certified for at least one qualifying condition. 

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