Verona, N.Y. — It’s called the Verona Collective, and for now it’s likely the largest recreational marijuana business in New York State.
The operation, run by the Oneida Indian Nation, is already growing, harvesting and processing marijuana at a location on Hill Road in Verona, not far from the nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino. It started up in August.
The next big step comes on Jan. 3: That’s when the Oneidas will open their first retail marijuana shop, or dispensary, to the public. The shop will be at 5250 Willow Place, across Route 365 from the main entrance to Turning Stone.
It will be the first of several retail marijuana shops the Oneidas plan to open on nation-owned land in Oneida and Madison counties in the near future.
All will sell products like whole flower, pre-rolled joints, vapes, concentrates and edibles like gummies and chocolates. All products will be sourced exclusively from the giant growing and processing facility the Oneidas run on Hill Road. Brand names will include Trim & Proper, CNY Provisions, Humble & Kind and Fair Shake.
“It’s a totally vertical operation, seed to sale,” said Ryan Riggs, vice president of retail for the Oneidas and their business division, called Turning Stone Enterprises. “Everything we do starts here.”
Customers at the Verona Collective retail dispensary must be 21 and show valid ID. Sales are debit or cash only. Customers may purchase up to 3 ounces of cannabis flower or 24 grams of cannabis concentrate or a mix of both each day. The shop will be open seven days a week.
The Oneidas are now hiring for positions at Verona Collective. (See details below).
The Oneidas’ entry into the legal marijuana business could provide a major jolt to the cannabis industry in the state. The state’s own licensing has been beset by lawsuits and other delays.
The Oneidas’ Verona Collective facility is housed in a newly constructed 50,000-square-foot building. Its has a 25,000-square-foot “canopy” (the amount of space covered by growing plants.) It features eight grow rooms with a combined 14,000 or so plants.
When it’s fully operational, by the beginning of January, it should be able to produce 250 pounds of marijuana for use in retail products each week, said George Reppy, operations director at the Hill Road facility.
The state’s licensed marijuana operations are currently divided into two categories: Those who provide to medical users and those who produce and sell to adult recreational users.
In addition to the Oneidas, several other Indian nations in the state have also entered the cannabis business. For the Oneidas, the operation follows guidelines set out in a 2013 agreement with New York State and local governments that settled land claims and other jurisdictional issues.
Among other things, the Oneidas agreed to set a tax on their retail products, such as cannabis, to avoid creating too great a competitive edge with non-Indian businesses. In this case, taxes the Oneidas collect on cannabis goes to fund its own governmental operations.
Verona Collective is also sending all its products for quality control testing at the same labs used by the state’s licensed facilities.
The size and scope of the Oneidas’ operation makes it more comparable to the 11 state-licensed medical marijuana operators, which also can do “seed to sale,” than to the state recreational operators. The state’s recreational licensing all but prohibits one entity from being able to both grow cannabis and sell it at retail shops.
The Oneidas, like the medical operators, are also able to grow in lighted indoor facilities. The recreational growers are currently restricted by the state to outdoor fields or greenhouses.
Due to the delays in the state program, there are only 27 retail dispensaries currently selling recreational use marijuana across the state, including a handful that are delivery only. To date, the state has licensed 279 cultivators, and 40 processors (who convert the plant into usable products).
The numbers likely make the Verona Collective the largest recreational producer in the state at the moment, but not quite as large as some of the medical producers, said Allan Gandelman, a Cortland County cannabis grower and president of the Cannabis Association of New York.
The state is prepared to issue licenses for larger growers and processors, but hasn’t done so yet, Gandelman said.
“So, yes, outside of the medical (operators), the Oneidas’ are definitely big, very big” he said. “Sure, it’s going to be some competition for the (recreational) businesses in the area. But in the grand scheme of things, going forward, it should be fine. I can’t blame them for jumping in when they can.”
Measured by canopy, some of the medical growers are already at between 50,000 and 100,000 square feet, said Jeremy Unruh, senior vice president for public and regulatory affairs at PharmaCann, an Illinois-based company that is one of New York’s medical cannabis providers.
“So relatively speaking, this Oneida facility is pretty sizable,” Unruh said.
The Verona Collective currently has about 50 employees, but is looking to add more, especially as the retail stores open. It has openings in cultivation, processing, packaging and retail positions.
The Oneidas generally offer current Turning Stone Enterprises employees the first chance for new positions, said Joel Barkin, the nation’s vice president for communications.
“Because of this, and because employment at Verona Collective requires an outstanding work history, joining the Turning Stone Enterprises team is the best and fastest way to become a top candidate,” he said.
Information sessions for the new positions will be held at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14; and 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16.
Pre-registration is recommended.
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Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.