The Shinnecock Indian Nation’s Little Beach Harvest dispensary officially opened to the public yesterday.
The Shinnecock Indian Nation’s official cannabis dispensary, Little Beach Harvest, is now open for business, just in time for the Indigenous harvest holiday known as Nunnowa, which the tribe celebrates each year on Nov. 16.
The tribe cut the ribbon yesterday on the 5,000-square-foot dispensary, also holding a traditional gift-giving ceremony in which Shinnecock officials exchanged gifts such as wampum and blankets with representatives of other Indigenous communities who had traveled from other parts of the northeastern United States for the occasion.
“It’s a major achievement. This is something that Long Island is in need of,” said Chenae Bullock, the managing director of Little Beach Harvest, in describing the region’s first tax-free cannabis dispensary, located on the Shinnecock territory at 56 Montauk Highway in Southampton.
But for the Shinnecocks, the dispensary is about much more than facilitating access to cannabis products that are tested to line up with industry standards for safety and quality.
“People are really advocating for cannabis, but more so, it’s something that’s a real economic pillar for sustainability within the Shinnecock Nation,” Ms. Bullock said.
Bryan Polite, chairman of the Shinnecock Tribal