Seneca Nation-owned marijuana facility draws crowd in the Falls

Mark Scheer, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 12—The Seneca Nation of Indians has officially added a new line of business — the cannabis selling business.

Dozens of eager customers lined up outside the door on Wednesday morning at Nativa Cannabis, the Seneca Nation's first marijuana dispensary, which is located on the footprint of Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino at the corner of Niagara Street and John B. Daly Boulevard in the city of Niagara Falls.

In celebrating the dispensary's first day of business, Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Jr. hailed it as a welcome addition to Niagara Falls and the region while describing it as a "first step" in a larger effort to grow the Nation's involvement in growing and distributing recreational marijuana.

"The Seneca Nation has been driving investment and development in Western New York, bringing new opportunities and experiences to the region for the last 20 years. Nativa cannabis is being built on the same foundation on quality and focus on providing customers with the best experience possible that has helped our other businesses stand out and thrive among the best in our industries," Armstrong said during brief remarks made before doors opened at Nativa Cannabis for the first time.

The 2,500-square-foot dispensary, located at 765 Niagara St., next to the Seneca-owned Seneca One Stop fuel station, offers cannabis products, including prepackaged flower, pre-rolled joints, vape pens, concentrates, extracts and edibles, to customers age 21 and over. Customers must present proof of their age before they are allowed to enter the building.

Customers will also be able to place orders online for pickup at Nativa Cannabis, which has its own dedicated drive-thru window for pickup orders.

Armstrong said the facility will soon be followed by a larger marijuana operation the Seneca Nation has planned for its territory in the Southern Tier. That facility will involve the development of a 90,000-square-foot marijuana cultivation operation. Seneca leaders have been working with Portland, Maine-based Opus Consulting on its plans for a nation-owned, "vertically integrated cannabis industry," eyeing a piece of New York's cannabis sales market which is expected to grow to $2.6 billion by 2027.

"We're building for our Nation's future and economic sovereignty and supporting thousands of individuals, families and businesses across Western New York in the process," Armstrong said.