(Las Vegas) – Today, the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, a federally-recognized sovereign nation, announced plans for the development of a medical cannabis dispensary at the Las Vegas Paiute Indian Colony in downtown Las Vegas, with a complementary cultivation/production facility and satellite dispensary at the Snow Mountain Indian reservation in the northwest Las Vegas Valley.

The project is a joint venture between the Tribe and Ultra Health, an Arizona-based company specializing in healthcare cannabis products, with cultivation, production and retail centers currently in operation in New Mexico and Arizona. Ultra Health has also been the industry leader working with Native American Tribes to maximize the economic and cultural opportunities that the emerging cannabis industry can provide.

 

Over the past few years, several states have legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes and, more than two years ago, the state of Nevada joined them. In August of 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a policy statement that provided guidance to U.S. attorneys on how to accommodate state’s rights within the federal framework. In October of 2014, a subsequent policy statement was issued that extended the same guidance to sovereign nations in Indian Country.

 

“In essence, the 2014 memorandum granted sovereign governments like ours the right to determine their own destiny with regard to medical cannabis,” said Benny Tso, chairman of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribal Council.  “Along with several other Tribes in the southwest, we began to explore what those opportunities might be, particularly because the people of Nevada and the state legislature have authorized the legal distribution and use of cannabis for medical purposes.”

 

The Tribal Council spent more than a year evaluating whether the Tribe should participate in the new industry. “We met with experts in the field, toured several facilities throughout our region, consulted legal authorities and talked with local government officials to get feedback, advice and information,” Tso said. “After that due diligence, we brought the information back to our membership who overwhelmingly voted to move forward.”

 

The 4,000 square-foot downtown retail dispensary on Main Street, just north of Washington Boulevard, will be designed with a contemporary southwestern motif, and includes a 1,160 exhibition space. The Snow Mountain campus will include three cultivation greenhouses for a total of 84,000 square-feet, a 10,000 square-foot production center and a 3,024 square foot retail dispensary. Construction of the project, with an estimated $5 million price tag, is expected to be completed in six to nine months. The facilities are expected to employ over 50 workers upon opening and grow to over 100 employees in the first year.  

 

“Ultra Health is proud to have been selected by the Tribe to be its partner in this venture,” said Duke Rodriguez, President and CEO. “They have insisted that every element, from structural design to landscaping and technological innovation, be of the highest quality so that it will be a model for other Indian nations interested in pursuing similar economic development programs.”

 

As part of the Tribe’s commitment to environmental responsibility, the cultivation facilities will be constructed with advanced clean greenhouse technologies that reduce the demand for electricity, eliminate the use of pesticides and conserve water through cutting-edge technology.

 

“We are proud of our heritage as the original caretakers of this land, and this project fits precisely within our own cultural background,” said Tso. “It is about caring for the earth, caring for our people and our neighbors, and creating long-term sustainability. As a nation, it’s what we stand for.”