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Shinnecock Nation breaks ground on medical cannabis dispensary

TILT and the Shinnecock Nation will cooperatively build and operate cannabis cultivation, processing, dispensaries and consumption lounge facilities on Long Island.
Patrick G. Ryan
Barré Hamp, TILT partner and consultant with Conor Green, Shinnecock member, Chenae Bullock, managing director of Little Beach Harvest, Dana Arvidson, COO of TILT Holdings, and Shinnecock chairman Bryan Polite at groundbreaking ceremony.

The Shinnecock Indian Nation broke ground on a medical cannabis dispensary Monday in Southampton. The “Little Beach Harvest” dispensary project took seven years to develop and is the first cannabis operation to be fully owned by the tribe.

Chenae Bullock, a Shinnecock tribal member who is the managing director of the Little Beach Harvest, said social equity and other state funds aimed to help businesses, doesn’t apply to tribal communities. She said revenue from the business will help to sustain the sovereign nation and create job opportunities for tribal members.

“There are a handful of tribal members that have a deep passion for agriculture, for the environment and also just wellness,” Bullock said. “The benefits of this sacred plant medicine is something they’ll be able to create a career in.”

Last year, the tribe announced a partnership with TILT Holdings, a provider of cannabis business development. Bullock said the venture will generate economic growth for the Shinnecock Nation and allow them to collaborate with other indigenous businesses.

“We have so many different types of relationships and partnerships that we have been building,” Bullock said. “This is a great role model on how to properly come together for a project for a nation.”

Jeniece Roman is WSHU's Report for America corps member who writes about Indigenous communities in Southern New England and Long Island, New York.