The Enterprise Rancheria is expanding its business ventures to open a boutique cannabis dispensary near the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain in Wheatland.
Slated to open in November, the new dispensary will share a site with the existing Fire Mountain Smoke shop, located in the casino parking lot. A team of 10 employees will be hired for the dispensary.
Enterprise Rancheria joins over 20 tribes in California that have expanded into the cannabis industry from cultivation to retail. According to Tribal Secretary Cindy Jones, the decision to open a dispensary is the result of months of strategic planning and exploring ways to enhance economic self-reliance within the tribe.
“The introduction of cannabis to the suite of economic development tools Enterprise Rancheria currently operates is part of the Tribes diversification plan representing a larger goal: economic self-reliance,” Jones told the Appeal. “Many factors played a part in the decision to move forward with a cannabis focused economic plan – location, time, and place, all were significant contributing factors. We studied this industry thoroughly and we are confident that any potential adverse impacts will be small and outweighed by the benefits.”
Tribal officials view this project as more than a retail venture as it fulfills a promise to create more jobs and elevate the community’s economic development.
Enterprise Rancheria is collaborating with Honest Cannabis, a cannabis consulting firm for Native American and state regulated cannabis industries, to map out the tribe’s economic development through this project.
“Our process has us involved from the very early stages, helping to designate what may be the best path forward for our clients into the cannabis marketplace. We work with our clients to help shape, develop, build, implement, and open or operate their cannabis businesses,” Honest Cannabis Chief Operating Officer Ben Halley said.
Cannabis and hemp offer a wide array of opportunities for investment, Jones said. The tribe’s decision to diversify its business ventures was spurred on by the economic viability of cannabis industries.
“Retail guided by our Native values and traditions was identified as the most suitable solution for Enterprise Rancheria to move forward with their initial investment into cannabis,” Jones said.
Enterprise Rancheria anticipates a strong return on investment with the new dispensary, based on its strategic assessment and feasibility studies. According to Jones, the tribe’s pre-existing investments, planned economic development in the region and rapid growth in South Yuba County and Sacramento “all pointed towards this business performing well financially.”