It could be a banner summer for recreational cannabis in the Hamptons, brought to you by shops on the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton.
Long Island’s only federally recognized Indian nation is taking advantage of a traditional base of retail shops on Montauk Highway, and a head start in recreational cannabis sales that began in 2022, to establish the retail row as a destination for marijuana for the Hamptons and beyond.
The Tribe’s flagship Little Beach Harvest dispensary, with a newly constructed multimillion dollar building, will be open for business in coming weeks, and represents a point of pride for the tribe and an economic engine, said Bryan Polite, chairman of the Shinnecock council of trustees.
Other shops are already selling, some for more than a year, and operators hope the Memorial Day weekend will be the starting gun for launching the tribe’s retail center as a destination for cannabis purchasers. The tribe already has granted a license to Little Beach Harvest, and eight other applications are pending, Polite said.
WHAT TO KNOW The Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton is using its base of retail shops on Montauk Highway to establish a destination for marijuana buyers from the Hamptons and