St. Regis Mohawk Tribe First in New York State to Pass Adult-Use Ordinance

New York’s St. Regis Mohawk Tribe on Monday finalized an ordinance to allow adult-use cannabis sales and cultivation of up to 12 plants by individuals, North Country Public Radio (NCPR) reports. The tribe is the first in the state to authorize adult cannabis use.

The regulation takes effect as some unlicensed cannabis sales are already occurring on tribal land and leaders are calling on those businesses to shut down and apply for a license and, if they fail to do so, they will be unable to apply for a legal license in the future. Tribal Chief Eric Thompson told NCPR that the tribe appreciates “those entrepreneurs who have been patient and who know that tribal processes must be followed to ensure the regulations are completed in a responsible manner with community input.”

“Approved and tested products will soon be available at tribally licensed stores, which customers can trust as being a safe product that is being regulated in a socially responsible manner.”—Thompson to NCPR

The tribe indicated they have already received dozens of applications for legal cannabis businesses following the approval of the ordinance, which requires seed-to-sale tracking.

The tribe first approved the development of the ordinance in 2019 but had to wait until New York state legalized adult cannabis use, which did not occur until last March.

There are at least four retail shops selling cannabis to adults on tribal land despite cease-and-desist orders from the tribal government.