Chairman Benny Tso of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, right, at the opening of the NuWu Cannabis Marketplace in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 16, 2017. Photo: NuWu Cannabis Marketplace

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Las Vegas Paiute Tribe already looking for ways to expand new marijuana operation

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The Las Vegas Paiute Tribe is already looking for ways to expand its brand new marijuana business in Nevada.

The NuWu Cannabis Marketplace is opened to the public last Monday, October 16. The 15,500 square-foot facility located on the tribe's reservation in downtown Las Vegas.

Chairman Benny Tso told KTNV that the tribe plans to keep NuWu open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And the tribe might even add a drive-through window to make it even easier for people to purchase their pot products.

"That would be perfect," customer Jared McKinney told KTNV.

According to the tribe, NuWu, whose name comes from the Paiute word for "people," is the largest retail marijuana dispensary in the United States. Revenues are being funneled to health, education and other programs for tribal citizens.

“We want the dollar to roll around in our tribal community before it leaves the reservation,” Tso told KSNV News3LV.

The tribe signed a marijuana compact with the state under the provisions of Senate Bill 375, which became law in June. Others have signed agreements but the tribe is the first in Nevada with a retail outlet on its own lands.

Marijuana otherwise is considered illegal under federal law and, by extension, in Indian Country. A Department of Justice policy that was issued during the Obama administration seemed to recognize the ability of tribes to legalize the drug on their own but Nevada and Washington are the only places where operations have begun without problems. Both states are also the first to enter into marijuana compacts with tribes.

Voters in Nevada approved recreational sales of marijuana last November. Marijuana is also legal for medicinal purposes.

Read More on the Story:
Tribal pot shop looking to add drive-thru window (KTNV October 24, 2017)
Paiute Pot: First dispensary on Nevada tribal land opens to public (KSNV News3LV October 20, 2017)
Paiute tribe opens 'Largest marijuana store on the planet' in Las Vegas (FOX5 October 18, 2017)
‘Years in the making’: Tribal pot store near downtown to open Monday (The Las Vegas Sun October 15, 2017)

Department of Justice Document:
Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)