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Municipalities are considering whether to allow sales of recreational marijuana.
With New York State last month legalizing the recreational use of marijuana by adults, the Shinnecock Indian Nation is laying the groundwork for its own marijuana retail sales operation to go along with an already planned medicinal dispensary at its territory in Southampton.
Bryan Polite, the chairman of the Council of Trustees, said this week that the tribe’s Cannabis Regulatory Division is reviewing the recently passed state law and the laws of other states that have already legalized the drug with the goal of presenting a proposal for a tribal vote as early as June. If tribe members support the proposal, sales could begin by year’s end, he said.
“Other states have been doing it for years, and there have been some success stories and some horror stories,” Mr. Polite said, stressing that the nation wanted to get it right. Its program would be similar and mirror any regulations New York plans to adopt, he added.
Mr. Polite said the tribe was taking a slow and deliberate “analytical approach” to launching marijuana sales and was only at the starting point of the process.
In a press release issued last week, the tribe praised the state for legalizing marijuana use, with a nod to “the millions of New Yorkers who have suffered for decades at the unfair criminalization of this healing plant.”
The newly passed state law legalizes possession of up to 3 ounces for personal use. The measure also expands on a 2019 law decriminalizing marijuana possession by expunging some convictions from criminal records.
Mr. Polite also praised the state law for “addressing social inequality” by targeting a percentage of licenses for marijuana sales to minority-owned businesses.
In its press release, the tribe noted that it has the sovereign right to enact laws and regulations legalizing medical and recreational cannabis just as the Seneca Nation and St. Regis Mohawk have done.
As part of its effort, the tribe also noted in its press release that it was coordinating with its Cannabis Regulatory Division and Little Beach Harvest, the business that will run its medicinal cannabis operation, and Conor Green, a consulting firm, to adapt the tribe’s medical cannabis laws for production.
“Shinnecock is proud to be taking part in this burgeoning industry,” the press release stated. “The jobs and economic opportunity cannabis bring to our nation and people will change lives for generations to come.”
The tribe has created an economic development zone on a portion of its territory and announced earlier this year that it would build a casino on the site. It expects to break ground soon on a medical cannabis dispensary.
Stephen J. Kotz on Apr 13, 2021