An historic moment occurred this July, when the largest vertically-integrated cannabis operator in Michigan confirmed a joint partnership with an Upper Peninsula tribe. 

Located on the St. Marys River, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians were on the receiving end of an adult-use cannabis retail license from Lume Cannabis Co. With a license of this kind, Lume will open a retail store under its acclaimed name in the tribal area. 

“We are honored to work with the top cannabis operator in Michigan to bring high-quality cannabis products to medical patients and adult-use consumers who live in or visit Sault Ste. Marie and the Eastern Upper Peninsula area,” said the Sault Tribe’s Economic Development Executive Director, Joel Schultz. 

Schultz went on to say that the federally recognized Native American tribe is progressively working towards diversifying methods of growing the economy; with a primary goal of boosting revenue to ameliorate quality of life for Sault Tribe Members. 

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula tribe cannabis partnership with Lume: About the company

Lume Cannabis Co. operates numerous cultivation facilities, inside which it cultivates medical and recreational-grade cannabis. The company’s cannabis products are sold in retail stores spread across various locations, including Bay City, Iron Mountain, Jackson, Lowell, Mount Morris and Petersburg.

“Lume has the expertise, passion, values and philosophy that make them the ideal company to work with to bring recreational cannabis to Sault Ste. Marie,” said Schultz, whose company’s products are exclusively packaged by Lume itself. 

The cannabis company’s adult-use retail store will be launched on tribal lands near the Canadian border. More than 20 strains of flower, concentrates, edibles, pre-rolls, cartridges, topicals and edibles are included in Lume’s product selection; these branded goods will be offered to tribal customers under the partnership.

Five of Lume’s tribal land stores will launch in 2021 and 2022

At the current time, Lume operates 10 stores across the state. Soon, this figure will climb to 15, what with the cannabis company planning to open five new tribal stores over the next two years. Lume’s president and Chief Operations Officer (COO) Doug Hellyar described his excitement about the Upper Peninsula tribe cannabis partnership in a recent statement to reporters.

“We are excited about our partnership with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and pleased to announce we’ve received an adult-use [cannabis] retail license to open our newest Lume location,” Hellyar expressed. “We look forward to introducing our high-quality cannabis products to adult-use customers and medical patients age 21 and up with a valid medical card in Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding communities.”

Hellyar says that the partnership will provide Michiganders with the opportunity to reap the health and wellness benefits of cannabis, which so far, have not been within reach of tribal residents.