A White Earth tribal member whose Mahnomen business was raided last August has been charged with a felony count of illegal possession of cannabis.
Mahnomen resident Todd J. Thompson, 54, began selling cannabis at his northwest Minnesota store, Asema Tobacco & Pipe Shop, the day recreational cannabis became legal in Minnesota. But his store was only licensed by the White Earth Reservation Tribal Council to sell tobacco products.
According to court documents, agents with the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force and other law enforcement executed a search warrant at the store and Thompson’s home just after 4 p.m. on August 2. At the store, they found several mason jars containing green, leafy, digital substances. scales and plastic bags.
Authorities seized approximately 7.5 pounds of marijuana and just under a pound of marijuana wax, along with approximately $2,750 in cash from the store.
Minnesota last year became the 23rd state to legalize cannabis use for people 21 and older. Under the new law, people could begin legally possessing up to 2 pounds of cannabis flower in their private residence or up to two ounces in public. But the sale of recreational cannabis remains limited on non-native lands as the state works to open the Minnesota Bureau of Cannabis Management and establish a licensing system.
The states first recreational A cannabis dispensary opened Aug. 1 at NativeCare in Red Lake Nation, about an hour and a half from Mahnomen. The second dispensary to open was Waabigwan Machkikiwhich is owned and operated by White Earth Nation.
“Our teams have worked diligently to prepare for this launch, and we are excited to provide a safe and controlled environment for access to cannabis,” the White Earth Preserve Business Committee said in a statement last August. “This effort aligns with our tribal sovereignty and self-determination.”
Thompson’s store is about a half-mile from the Waabigwan Mashkiki dispensary. After the raid, the White Earth Reserve’s business committee said it would “seize and destroy all illegal cannabis within the boundaries of the reserve.”
“Although adult use of cannabis has been decriminalized, it is still a heavily regulated area by both state and gang,” the Business Committee wrote in a Facebook post in August last. “No person or entity may produce or sell cannabis on the White Earth Reservation without a license issued by the White Earth Medicinal Cannabis Control Commission.”
Thompson was charged in April with one count of first-degree possession of cannabis, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison or a $10,000 fine, or both. His first court appearance is scheduled for Monday.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Thompson said he plans to fight the charges.
