SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — A new chapter will begin Monday as the Shinnecock Indian Nation and TILT Holdings host the official opening ceremony for the Little Beach Harvest cannabis dispensary.
The facility, located at 56 Montauk Highway, will be the “first of its kind fully Indigenous-owned cannabis operation,” a release said. “Little Beach Harvest is located right along Southampton's main drag, creating a unique point of engagement between First People and the Hamptons community.”
The event, scheduled to take place at noon, will include a groundbreaking, traditional Shinnecock smudge, featuring tribal singers and drummers, and featuring performances by Little Beach Harvest.
A previous signing event was held in 2019 on the Shinnecock Reservation for the planned “medical cannabis project.”
Former Shinnecock Nation vice president Lance Gumbs said at the time that the plan was for a medical cannabis dispensary.
The original plan was to bring in medical marijuana from other areas and sell at the dispensary to start, with a plan to possibly grow on-site in the future, Gumbs said.
The Shinnecock Indian Nation also partnered with investor Conor Green Consulting LLC, he said.
The facility will also serve as a health and wellness center, offering acupuncture and other services as well as medical marijuana — all services meant to promote holistic healing, Gumbs said.
The dispensary, he said, will serve as another economic generator for the tribe.
“It's another slice of the pie in our empty pie pan. Imagine an empty pie plate. We're putting the slices back in, in the form of economic growth. That's another economic engine,” he said.
Earlier in 2019 the tribe erected the first of two electronic signs on Sunrise Highway that sparked controversy. A gas station is also planned, Gumps said.
It is critical to pursue a number of economic development avenues, Gumbs said. “We don't want the tribe to be based on one thing — like some tribes, who put all their eggs in one basket, like toys. We want to diversify our economic interests.”
Funds raised will help staff programs on the reservation, he said.
