Pine Ridge dispensary leads the way in recreational marijuana use

PINE RIDGE, S.D. (KEVN) -

It’s been more than a year since voters approved medical and recreational marijuana in South Dakota, but lawmakers are still working out the details.

That’s not the case in Pine Ridge.

”Business has been excellent,” said Ty Eagle Bull Manager of No Worries, South Dakota’s first recreational use cannabis dispensary opened on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

“We have flower, we sell pre-rolls, we have edibles, we have concentrate, we have plenty of everything. If you think of a dispensary that has it, we pretty much have it here,” said Eagle Bull.

The business plan started after the tribe voted to legalize the plant, “and my cousin thought of this business plan and we just went with it and here we are today a year later,” said Eagle Bull

For years, marijuana has had a negative connotation surrounding it, but Eagle Bull said businesses like No Worries actually give back to the community through the revenue generated and added, “we’re one of the poorest nations in the county so, it’s really good that this is bringing in revenue for the tribe.”

Jennilee Rooks, Chair of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Cannabis Commission, hopes dispensaries will offer people a more holistic approach to medicine.

“So, we’re hoping that by bringing this plant here and allowing our people to utilize it instead of opiates that pharmaceutical companies would provide to them and they would be able to open up to all the other plants and traditional herbs that we have here. Cannabis is an actual medicinal to help alleviate chronic pain, inflammation, different types of medical issues that our people have. We have such high disparities on the reservation.” explained Rooks.

More dispensaries are set to open on the Reservation this summer and bring in more people from surrounding areas.

“Rapid City we love for them to come down and people from surrounding towns to come down. We’ve had a lot of visitors come down so, so far. So, everything’s going good,” said Eagle Bull.

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