Northern Light Cannabis Co. opens to the public today, November 6th.
Northern Light Cannabis Co. will start as a store and grow into a marijuana marketplace. The all-in-one operation, owned by the Bay Mills Indian Community, will eventually grow, process, test and sell recreational cannabis products from its campus on the upper peninsula of Michigan.
“We’re a trailblazing community and we are continuing the tradition by being a community-owned and community-grown source of cannabis,” said Bryan Newland, Bay Mills Tribal Chairman. “From seed to sale, our community is taking ownership of an exciting area of economic opportunity for our people and our region.”
READ MORE: Bay Mills to Open Michigan’s First Tribally Owned Cannabis Marketplace
As the first Tribal cannabis operation in Michigan, owned and operated by Bay Mills Indian Community, Northern Light Cannabis Co. (NLCC) provides residents the opportunity to purchase a variety of marijuana products at much lower prices than competitors. Products available will include flower, edibles, tinctures, and CBD oils.
www.northernlightcannabis.com
NLCC is licensed and regulated under Tribal law.
“Bay Mills Indian Community takes a lot of pride in leading the way for the advancement of Tribal rights, and being ‘first.’ We are proud to develop the first tribally-owned and operated cannabis business in Michigan,” Newland stated. “Northern Light Cannabis Co. will provide our community with a diverse new field for employment, and generate new revenues for our tribal government and community. This is yet another exciting step forward for Bay Mills — and for Indian Country.”
As the cannabis operation grows, Bay Mills intends to add new locations on its sovereign lands throughout Michigan.
Down the road, Bay Mills envisions an inter-Tribal cooperative, in which Bay Mills produces cannabis products that are then sold by other Tribes at their retail establishments.
The Tribe’s initial investment is $1 million for the dispensary and growing operations. (The dispensary will start by purchasing product from the Michigan market, in advance of growing and processing its own crop.) Over the course of the next year, an additional $2-3 million will be funneled to expand growing, while adding capabilities to test and process cannabis on-site.
The Community plans to start growing cannabis in early 2021, with home-grown products ready to retail sometime next year. “I can’t speak to whether we will have delivery services available,” Newland told The Sault News. “The Tribe is licensing, regulating, and operating Northern Light Cannabis Co. on our reservation under Tribal law. We are going to focus our initial activities on our own lands.”
The Bay Mills Indian Community has blazed trails for numerous firsts in Indian Country.
“Whether it is treaty fishing rights, gaming, charter schools, health care, and internet gaming, Bay Mills has a long history of being ‘first’ in Indian country,” he told The Sault News. “Paving the way for others is something we pride ourselves on, and our people expect the Tribe to take risks to make life better for us.”
Northern Light Cannabis Co. is yet another example of the way Bay Mills diversifies and innovates for the greater good of its Tribal and the neighboring communities. “One of the biggest benefits is that it offers a new field for employment,” Newland continued. “We want our people to have the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives here in our community, and that requires having the opportunity to work in a career that is exciting and fulfilling. The more opportunities we can create, the better off we will be as a Tribe for coming generations.”
