Tribal-Based Dispensary in St. Cloud Shut Down Again Amid Allegations of Health and Safety Violations

(KNSI) – A self-described tribal-based medical cannabis dispensary on St. Cloud’s east side has been forced to shutter its doors for a second time.

White Feather Essential Earth Elements opened in the old Ace Bar building on July 2nd. Their treatments are meant for people suffering from anxiety, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a host of other ailments. The city’s health inspector ordered the doors closed on July 11th after a shooting at the facility the day before.

White Feather President Doctor Allen S. Miller is a certified tribal healer with the Crow Nation and is in charge of the dispensary. He told KNSI News the city used the incident as an excuse to raid his shop. “Once they got in the door, they violated our sovereignty and obviously found that we had native medicine on site. They used the health department to shut us down because there were a couple of very minor things that they didn’t like that would take not more than a few hours to repair.”

City of St. Cloud Health Director Matt O’Brien sent KNSI News an email outlining the issues his department found, which include numerous open junction boxes, exposed wires and missing junction boxes throughout the structure with extension cords being used in place of permanent wiring. Several plumbing fixtures were removed without a permit, leaving uncapped plumbing; the fire sprinkler system had not been serviced since 2016, and plumbing and electrical work was done without permits. The city said the building’s exterior doors didn’t have the proper double-keyed deadbolt locks and/or sliding barrel bolt-type locks installed.

Miller says he has the contractors ready to go in and take care of the issues, but says city officials won’t let him or his landlord, Bob Abel, have access to the building. O’Brien says that’s because there is a dispute over who owns the building and until that’s cleared up, no one is going inside. According to the Benton County Recorders Office, Lenora Hunt bought the building on a contract for deed in December of 2022, but the full amount hasn’t been paid. Tax statements for 2023 and 2024 also list Lenora Hunt as the owner. Too Much Talent, a nonprofit dedicated to helping kids in need in the area, operated out of the facility before White Feather moved in.

Miller claims the facility is under the control of the Crow Nation, making it a sovereign territory and outside of the jurisdiction of state, county, or city laws. He’s preparing to fight the city in court. “We’re saying that our rights were violated when the searches were performed by the police department. That was illegal. We’re obviously going to defend our actions on that which is consistent with our federal law.”

Despite getting locked out of the building, Miller still sees clients through telehealth. “We’re open now. We’re just working around this and looking for another spot. Because of all the circumstances, I’m still seeing patients. I’m still following up with the patients.” He says medical marijuana and all of White Feather’s products can be mailed to a patient’s home.

Besides medical cannabis, White Feather’s services include prescribing psilocybin mushrooms, and they plan to hold ayahuasca ceremonies.

Miller first attempted to open the dispensary in February but was forced to abandon his plans after the Office of Cannabis Management sent a cease-and-desist letter threatening a $1 million-plus fine if they opened. According to the OCM, the only medicinal marijuana that is legal to buy in the state is from either Green Goods or Rise Dispensary. Any other businesses claiming to sell it are doing so illegally – sovereign nation or not.

The OCM is responsible for issuing business licenses for cannabis sales and won’t do so until 2025. The only recreational marijuana dispensaries legal to operate in the state are on tribal land and owned by one of the state’s bands. According to the OCM, at this time, they are not aware of any illegal sales of cannabis from White Feather.

For an appointment with White Feather, call 320-342-2220 or email info@whitefeathereee.com. You can find a link to their website by clicking here.

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