Tribal cannabis shop comes to Foxwoods Casino in CT and maybe North Carolina

One of the largest tribal marijuana shops in the country is coming into, or at least near, Connecticut’s famous Foxwoods Resort Casino, and another is planned near Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina.

Connecticut legalized adult cannabis earlier this year. On July 1, 2021, it became legal for all adults 21 and older to have up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana. Retail sales in government-licensed stores are slated to begin in the summer of 2022.

All cannabis is strictly prohibited in North Carolina. The state hasn’t even legalized medical marijuana yet. But the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, a bill legalizing medical cannabis, is currently making advances in state law.

Native American tribes are not bound by state laws and do not require a state cannabis license. In other constitutional states, tribes usually tax cannabis at a rate comparable to the state, but the tax revenue goes to the strain, not the state. Earlier this month, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council voted to legalize medical marijuana in Cherokee lands.

The neighboring Foxwoods store may not cause much concern to state or federal officials as Connecticut is now adult legal. But opening a tribal pharmacy in a non-medical state like North Carolina would be a landmark move – and it’s unclear whether the Cherokee tribe will wait for the state to legalize medical care before opening their pharmacy.

Cherokees, Mashantucket Pequots lead the initiatives

A source close to both initiatives, asking to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the North Carolina political situation, told Leafly that both projects were planned on a mega-pharmacy scale with a floor space greater than 25,000 square feet.

The stores will each have two drive-through windows and a smoking lounge, and will be located near the popular Trunks casino resorts.

Jeremy Wilson, the government liaison officer for the Cherokee tribe, said the Cherokees are still deciding between a handful of locations for the new mega-pharmacy likely to be called Kituwah Medical. Wilson said the tribe was working towards an opening date in the summer of 2022.

The tribe’s first option is to convert a huge, secluded bingo hall a mile north of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, which is about 50 miles west of Asheville, NC. The bingo hall has been closed in the United States since the March 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The 1,100-room Harrah’s Cherokee Resort in western North Carolina is just a few miles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of America’s most popular national parks.

If the former bingo hall is not working, another possible choice is the former Cherokee High School location, which is just 2 miles from the casino resort. The facility closed in 2009 and the trunk demolished the old building in 2017.

Thousands of buyers every day

Wilson said no matter where the Cherokees build their pharmacy, it will be equipped to serve “several thousands” of shoppers every day.

“This will be the only legal cannabis dispensary within hundreds of kilometers,” he said. “So we’re preparing to take in large numbers of people. We can’t do that with a mom and pop location. “

Wilson said the tribe plans to begin releasing their new pharmacy in the coming months, once they have decided on a location and can begin development.

Near Foxwoods…

In Connecticut, the tribal owners of one of the east coast’s most popular casinos are also planning to open a mega pharmacy in 2022. The Mashantucket Pequot tribal nation operates Foxwoods Resort Casino on the tribe’s 1,250 acre reservation in the southeast corner of the state.

The pharmacy, which could open as early as the spring, will be located less than half a mile from the casino resort and add to the Mashantucket Pequots portfolio of nearby tourist attractions, including a golf course, movie theater, mall, trio of spas and dozen of restaurants.

Two separately interviewed officials from the tribe’s eight-member legislative government upheld the cannabis project but spoke on condition of anonymity as the Mashantucket Pequot leadership had not authorized them to speak publicly.

Tribes that are different from gaming

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught tourism economies like those of many US tribal nations anything, it is that visitors now need a variety of options to survive. When the lockdowns stifled the hospitality and gaming industries last year, the Eastern Cherokees and Mashantucket Pequots saw their main sources of income fizzle out – tens of millions of dollars.

Not long before COVID, in May 2018, the US Supreme Court also ruled to allow states to legalize sports betting. Lowering the barriers to entry for non-tribal operators was another hurdle for Native American groups in an industry that many U.S. tribes had relied on for decades as a proven source of income.

Meanwhile, legal marijuana sales have continued to skyrocket. US industry dwarfed sales of $ 18.5 billion last year. According to a recent analysis by Leafly / Whitney Economics, total legal revenues will rise to over $ 25 billion in 2021.

Chris Kudialis

Chris Kudialis is a Las Vegas cannabis reporter. He has written articles for the Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas Sun, Charlotte Observer, Houston Chronicle, Detroit Free Press, and the Brazilian Rio Times, among others.

View article by Chris Kudialis

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