New York Tribe to Grow, Dispense MMJ

It looks like New York’s five medical cannabis companies will have some more competition by the end of the year. At least, they will on Long Island.

The Shinnecock Indian Nation, which has a reservation on the eastern part of Long Island, has decided to get into the MMJ business, according to the Southampton Press. The tribe plans on growing and selling MMJ by the end of the year.

But the Shinnecocks won’t necessarily have a competitive advantage, since the ordinance the tribal council approved includes a requirement that the operation be governed by state law. That means no smokable MMJ, and the tribe will have to be careful to ensure that each customer is a registered patient.

The tribe’s reservation also is about two hours east from New York City, so it might be a little difficult for it to compete with dispensaries in the city’s burroughs.

The state has yet to sign off on the project, the paper reported, though a tribal spokesman said the plans for the grow and dispensary will go above and beyond the security requirements outlined in state law.

The tribe’s plans call for a 32,000-square-foot cultivation building and a dispenary that’s between 1,200 and 1,300 square feet.