{"id":661,"date":"2021-08-23T22:57:25","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T22:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=175843"},"modified":"2021-08-23T22:57:25","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T22:57:25","slug":"tribal-cannabis-store-coming-to-cts-foxwoods-casino-and-maybe-north-carolina-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=661","title":{"rendered":"Tribal cannabis store coming to CT\u2019s Foxwoods Casino, and maybe North Carolina too"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Tribal cannabis store coming to CT&#8217;s Foxwoods Casino, and maybe North Carolina too | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.9.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>One of the nation\u2019s largest tribal-owned marijuana stores is coming to\u2014or at least near\u2014Connecticut\u2019s famous Foxwoods Resort Casino, and another is being planned near Harrah\u2019s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>Connecticut legalized adult-use cannabis earlier this year. On July 1, 2021, it became legal for all adults 21 and older to possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana. Retail sales in state-licensed stores are expected to begin in the summer of 2022.<\/p>\n<p>In North Carolina, all cannabis is strictly prohibited. The state hasn\u2019t even legalized medical marijuana yet. But the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, a bill to legalize medical cannabis, is currently making progress in the state legislature.<\/p>\n<p>Native American tribes are not bound by state law, and do not require a state cannabis license. 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. Earlier this month, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council <a href=\"https:\/\/norml.org\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/north-carolina-medical-cannabis-now-legal-on-cherokee-land-as-state-considers-reform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voted to legalize<\/a> medical marijuana on Cherokee land.<\/p>\n<p>The Foxwoods-adjacent store may not cause much concern among state or federal officials, because Connecticut is now adult-legal. But opening a tribal dispensary in a non-medical state like North Carolina would be a precedent-setting action\u2014and it\u2019s unclear whether the Cherokee tribe will wait until the state legalizes medical before opening its dispensary.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-cherokees-mashantucket-pequots-heading-the-initiatives\">Cherokees, Mashantucket Pequots heading the initiatives<\/h2>\n<p>A 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.<\/p>\n<p>The stores will each offer two drive-thru windows and a smoking lounge, and locate near the tribes\u2019 popular casino resorts.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy Wilson, the Cherokee tribe\u2019s governmental affairs liaison, said the Cherokees are still deciding between a handful of sites for the new mega-dispensary, which will likely be named Kituwah Medical. Wilson said the tribe is working toward an opening date in the summer of 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The tribe\u2019s first option is to convert a massive standalone bingo hall one a mile north of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caesars.com\/harrahs-cherokee\">Harrah\u2019s Cherokee Casino Resort<\/a>, which is about 50 miles west of Asheville, NC. The bingo hall has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the United States in March 2020.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-located-near-great-smoky-mountains-national-park\">Located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park<\/h2>\n<p>The 1,100-room Harrah\u2019s Cherokee resort in western North Carolina is located just a few miles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of America\u2019s most popular national parks.<\/p>\n<p>If the former bingo hall doesn\u2019t work out, another potential choice is the former site of Cherokee High School, located just two miles away from the casino resort. The facility shuttered in 2009 and the tribe demolished the old building in 2017.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-thousands-of-shoppers-daily\">Thousands of shoppers daily<\/h2>\n<p>Wilson said regardless of where the Cherokees build their dispensary, it will be equipped to serve \u201cseveral thousands\u201d of daily shoppers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is going to be the only legal cannabis dispensary within hundreds of miles around,\u201d he said. \u201cSo we\u2019re preparing to accommodate large volumes of people. We can\u2019t do that with a mom-and-pop location.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wilson said the tribe plans to begin publicizing its new dispensary during the coming months, once they decide on a location and can begin developing it.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-meanwhile-near-foxwoods\">Meanwhile, near Foxwoods\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>In Connecticut, the tribal owners of one of the East Coast\u2019s most popular casinos also plan to open a mega-dispensary in 2022. The Mashantucket Pequot tribal nation operates Foxwoods Resort Casino on the tribe\u2019s 1,250-acre reservation in the southeast corner of the state.<\/p>\n<p>The dispensary, which could open as early as the spring, will be located less than a half-mile from the casino resort\u2014adding to the Mashantucket Pequots\u2019 portfolio of nearby tourist attractions that include a golf course, movie theater, retail shopping mall, trio of spas and dozens of restaurants.<\/p>\n<p>Two separately interviewed officials from the tribe\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-tribes-diversifying-from-gaming\">Tribes diversifying from gaming<\/h2>\n<p>If there\u2019s anything the COVID-19 pandemic has taught tourism-based economies like those of many U.S. tribal nations, it\u2019s that offering visitors a variety of options is now necessary for survival. When last year\u2019s lockdowns suffocated the hotel and gaming industries, the Eastern Cherokees and Mashantucket Pequots saw their main sources of revenue evaporate\u2014to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.<\/p>\n<p>Not long before COVID, back in May 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court also ruled to start allowing states to legalize sports betting. Lowering barriers to entry for non-tribal operators was yet another hurdle for Native American groups in an industry that many U.S. tribes had relied on for decades as a proven income stream.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, legal marijuana sales have continued to soar. The U.S. industry eclipsed $18.5 billion in sales last year. Total legal revenue is on pace to top $25 billion in 2021, according to a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/industry\/americans-on-pace-to-spend-twice-as-much-on-weed-as-on-milk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leafly\/Whitney Economics analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/tribal-cannabis-store-coming-to-cts-foxwoods-casino-and-maybe-north-carolina-too.jpg\" alt=\"Chris Kudialis's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Chris Kudialis<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Chris Kudialis is a Las Vegas\u2013based cannabis reporter. He has written articles for the Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas Sun, Charlotte Observer, Houston Chronicle, Detroit Free Press, and Brazil&#8217;s Rio Times, among other metropolitan dailies.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/chris-kudialis\">View Chris Kudialis&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-08-24 08:03:57 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tribal cannabis store coming to CT&#8217;s Foxwoods Casino, and maybe North Carolina too | Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. One of the nation\u2019s largest tribal-owned marijuana stores is coming to\u2014or at least near\u2014Connecticut\u2019s famous Foxwoods Resort Casino, and another is being planned near Harrah\u2019s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina. Connecticut legalized adult-use cannabis earlier this year&#8230;. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/tribal-cannabis-store-coming-to-cts-foxwoods-casino-and-maybe-north-carolina-too.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}