tribal nations, it’s that offering visitors a variety of options is now necessary for survival.

If there’s anything the COVID-19 pandemic has taught tourism-based economies like those of many U.S. Two separately interviewed officials from the tribe’s eight-member legislative government confirmed the cannabis project, but they spoke on condition of anonymity because Mashantucket Pequot leadership had not authorized them to speak publicly. The dispensary, which could open as early as the spring, will be located less than a half-mile from the casino resort-adding to the Mashantucket Pequots’ portfolio of nearby tourist attractions that include a golf course, movie theater, retail shopping mall, trio of spas and dozens of restaurants. The Mashantucket Pequot tribal nation operates Foxwoods Resort Casino on the tribe’s 1,250-acre reservation in the southeast corner of the state. In Connecticut, the tribal owners of one of the East Coast’s most popular casinos also plan to open a mega-dispensary in 2022. Cherokees, Mashantucket Pequots heading the initiativesĪ source close to both initiatives, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the political situation in North Carolina, told Leafly both projects are being planned at mega-dispensary scale, with footprints exceeding 25,000 square feet.

But opening a tribal dispensary in a non-medical state like North Carolina would be a precedent-setting action-and it’s unclear whether the Cherokee tribe will wait until the state legalizes medical before opening its dispensary. The Foxwoods-adjacent store may not cause much concern among state or federal officials, because Connecticut is now adult-legal. Earlier this month, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council voted to legalize medical marijuana on Cherokee land. In other legal states, tribes typically tax cannabis at a rate comparable to the state, but the tax revenue goes to the tribe, not the state. Native American tribes are not bound by state law, and do not require a state cannabis license. But the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, a bill to legalize medical cannabis, is currently making progress in the state legislature. The state hasn’t even legalized medical marijuana yet.

In North Carolina, all cannabis is strictly prohibited. Retail sales in state-licensed stores are expected to begin in the summer of 2022. On July 1, 2021, it became legal for all adults 21 and older to possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana. Connecticut legalized adult-use cannabis earlier this year.

Hilton hotel near foxwood casino