The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians in Michigan joined the state’s recreational cannabis market.
According to the Record Eagle of Traverse City, a tribal ordinance approved in 2019 by members went into effect on Aug. 29 and will allow tribal-controlled businesses to develop vertically integrated company models.
Adult-use businesses will be allowed on Grand Traverse Band (GTB) lands in northern Michigan encompassing six counties.
According to the Record Eagle, the tribe’s entry into the adult-use industry follows many other Native American tribes across the U.S., including several others in Michigan:
- Earlier this year, the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians opened a recreational marijuana store in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and plans to open another five.
- In 2020, the Bay Mills Indian Community opened an adult-use cannabis shop, also in the Upper Peninsula.
The GTB has not announced where its retail locations will be set up. But by law, they must be on tribal lands such as reservation property in or near Peshawbestown, the Record Eagle reported.
