The Omaha Tribe is moving forward with its plan to establish a regulated marijuana industry, with an official saying the first dispensary is expected to open by the first or second quarter of next year.
John Cartier, Attorney General of the Omaha Tribe, told The Marijuana Herald that the next step is for the Council to approve the tribe’s five-member cannabis commission. “Hopefully we do that today,” said Cartier. “I already have drafted rules and regulations that [the Council] will take a look at and hopefully approve, and then from there we’ll start accepting applications.”
Cartier said the initial focus will be on a vertically integrated license, either operated directly by the tribe or through a joint venture.
“Priority is going to be given to a joint venture or the tribe itself for a single vertical license,” he explained. Based on how quickly the process moves, he expects the first dispensary to be operational in the first quarter of 2026, though it could extend into the second quarter.
When asked whether sales would initially be restricted to tribal members, Cartier made clear that would not be the case. “It’ll be open to everyone,” he said.
The launch of the commission and regulatory framework marks a pivotal step for the Omaha Tribe as it prepares to enter the marijuana industry. The move comes a little over a year after the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina opened the Great Smoky Cannabis Company on tribal land, with everyone 21 and older allowed to buy product.
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