Native American tribes lead New York’s legal cannabis market
Indigenous pharmacies are booming across the state. Thus, tribes across the state of New York claim it’s next big industry.
More than a year after the state legislature passed legislation legalizing it, the New York City Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) said it is on track to open about 20 dispensaries to target the adult-use market boost at the end of the year. Meanwhile, state regulators and law enforcement have mostly looked the other way as a “grey market” filled the void of legitimate deals.
While established operators, residents with cannabis convictions, and out-of-state operations have dominated discussions about the future of New York’s multi-billion dollar cannabis plans, another group is quietly making the most of the small window without government interference: Indigenous operators, inclusive The Oneida, Shinecock, and Seneca nations now have their own legal businesses and are poised for long-term prosperity in the marketplace.
“What is happening in tribal areas is beyond our control. This is their country.”
Chris Alexander, Director of the New York State Office of Cannabis Management
Once the state begins allowing licensed cannabis operators to open next month, a crackdown on the gray market could be imminent. But indigenous operators are in a unique legal position that comes with a degree of sovereignty. State cannabis laws do not apply to reservation areas.
“Dispensaries (marijuana stores) are legal when located on federally recognized sovereign tribal lands,” the New York City Bureau of Cannabis Management said in a December 2021 statement.
“Because we don’t need a state license, because we don’t need a state license to get into the industry, we are a real, authentic Native American cannabis company… This business will not only deliver work and build careers in one industry, but with others as well deal with tribal members.”
Chenae Bullock, CEO of Little Beach Harvest, a Shinnecock-owned company
From Long Island to the New York-Canada border, these seven indigenously owned cannabis operations are putting deep roots in New York’s burgeoning cannabis industry.
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The Good Leaf Pharmacy in Salamanca, NY
“We have accommodation for you, we have weed for you to smoke.”
jay john
Jay John and his father, Ross John, run the Good Leaf Dispensary in Salamanca and hope to one day open a 420-friendly hotel. Salamanca is the only US community that leases land from Native Americans, according to a recent profile by Good Leaf in the New York Times.
Right now, the Apothecary is wowing customers with menu items like Rez Rockets, oil-covered pre-rolls, and crystals that take you into space for $25. Good Leaf’s long-term plans include cannabis tourism offerings such as winery tours and hotels with consumption lounges. They also want to shuttle guests between the hotel and the casino, allow 420-friendly rooms, and host video game tournaments.
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
Right where the Canadian border meets the northern tip of New York, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe oversees dozens of tribal-licensed pharmacies. And many unlicensed operators are also joining the action.
The unlicensed operators are controversial within the community. Some tribal leaders have condemned members who opened dispensaries without a permit. Leaders have argued in tribal courts that unlicensed operations deprive the entire tribe, including elders and children, of funds for health care and education.
To learn if a dispensary is licensed by the tribe, visit the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Cannabis Control Board website, call (518) 358-2272 ext. 2167 or by email to ccb@srmt-nsn.gov.
The licensed cannabis sellers from Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
To date, 16 licensed retailers and five breeders have been licensed by the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. View the full list of retailers and their locations here or scan below.
- Budders Cannabis Store LLC, located at 508 State Route 37
- King Canna, located at 8 Raquette Point Road
- Weedway at 935 State Route 37
- Thanks Bank, 25 Water Street, Fort Covington
- Not Another Pot Store, located at 76 Beaver Meadow Road
- Diamond Dispensary, located at 147A Raquette Point Road
- Exotika Dispensary, located at 227 State Route 37
- Prime Cannabis, located at 1600 State Route 37
- Higher Ground Cannabis Co. located at 300 State Route 37
- Sovereign Retail, 8 State Route 37, Suite 1
- Green Reserve Dispensary at 484 State Route 37
- Crossroads Cannabis, located at 612 State Route 37
- Lawless & Co. at 1744 State Route 37
- Roach Coach, located at 580 State Route 37
- Belushi Farms at 987 State Route 37
- Sovereign Retail, 2381
- Chateaugay Street, Fort Covington
Shinnecock nation
The massive Shinnecock Nation, located on tribal territory in Long Island, has broken ground on a 5,000-square-foot dispensary that is scheduled to open in early 2023.
The Little Beach Harvest dispensary will be supported by management services from TILT Holdings but will be 100% owned by Shinnecock. TILT will add $18 million to support the establishment of a seed-to-sale operation that will include a dispensary, wellness center and a 60,000 square foot cultivation, processing, extraction and packaging facility. The Long Island operation will be adjacent to Southampton (The Hamptons), an affluent resort town.
“What we do with this sacred plant will not only heal the Shinnecock community, but people around the world.”
Chenae Bullock, Little Beach Crop
Cayuga Nation
In central New York, the Cayuga Nation allows its members to sell cannabis at the tribe’s many gas stations. They also have plans for a beautiful new pharmacy near Syracuse and Cayuga Lake.
“As a sovereign nation, the Cayuga Nation can grow and sell cannabis within the boundaries of its reservation… Our vision for the future of the Cayuga Nation remains focused on improving the lives of our members, our community and our neighbors… As we venture into our economic.” development, we remain committed to working closely with local governments to ensure the health and safety of our community.”
Cayuga Nation officials via public statement
The OCM “has the ability to enter into agreements with tribes through tribal pacts to integrate them into the state program if all parties can agree to the terms,” although such agreements do not yet exist.
As of November 2021, The Cayuga Nation has been selling marijuana at the Lakeside Trading store in the Village of Union Springs with locations at 3202 E. Bayard St Seneca Falls, NY and 271 Cayuga St Union Springs, NY.
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Oneida nation
The Oneida already operate Turning Stone Casino and Resort near Utica, and the tribe recently said it will open dispensaries after completing a 50,000-square-foot cultivation and manufacturing facility. The tribe plans to officially launch by 2023, but has opted not to openly sell on the gray market until its full-scale operations are up and running.
Sales are regulated by the Oneida Indian Nation Cannabis Commission, an independent body that oversees safety and compliance. It all started with a 2013 settlement agreement between New York and the Oneida Indian Nation and neighboring counties of Oneida and Madison. Taxes go to the tribe, not the state, to fund public safety, health care, affordable housing, education, and cultural preservation. The Oneida Nation Cannabis Commission also enforces age restrictions, purchase restrictions, licensing requirements, and safety guarantees.
Seneca nation
The Seneca Nation’s territories encompass nearly 53,000 acres in five New York counties. Tribal officials estimate that there are 100 active dispensaries in the tribe’s Cattaraugus and Allegany territories, serving medical patients and adult shoppers heading to New York to escape Pennsylvania prohibition laws and pricing.
New York counties like Cattaraugus County, which has reportedly opted not to allow pharmacies in its borders, are also sending customers directly to Native American-owned operations that are reclaiming a piece of the American dream that was built on their loss and suffering.
For more information on the Seneca Nation’s long-term cannabis plans, click here. The tribe’s website currently lists uses and regulations for hemp producers. Leading companies also require Laboratory Test Certificates of Analysis (COAs) to protect customers and increase quality.
“We try to differentiate ourselves from everyone else. New York state, for example, doesn’t share information about their test results with you,” said Mike, an operator of 420 Rez Bud, a new tribal dispensary in western New York. “We’re already doing more than they do in providing strain genetics and information on how it was grown, and if they want to know who grew it, we know who they are and we have files for everything,” Mike said this year to Cannabuff.
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