By Jimmy Lee Beason II, Osage Nation
Tribal communities across the country are continually finding ways to assert their economic sovereignty and self-determination. To overcome the colonial induced poverty brought on to us by the federal government during the early reservation days, tribes in the 1980’s created bingo halls and casinos. Today, tribal governments and individual Native farmers, are actively pursuing a place in the cannabis industry with the hopes of creating another source of income to benefit our communities.
One such organization that is consolidating tribal communities and Indigenous farmers across Indian Country, is the Native American Cannabis Alliance (NACA). Part of their mission statement says, “…to empower indigenous farmers to seize the ample opportunities the cannabis industry presents.”
NACA hopes to ensure the relationship between tribal communities and the cannabis industry is equitable, sustainable and that the individual farmers are getting the best deal. As of this writing, NACA has collaborated with and fostered memorandums of understanding with farmers from tribal communities such as the Cheyenne and Arapaho of Oklahoma and the Mohawk Nation. With these agreements in place, there is an opportunity to utilize over 500,000 acres of tribal land to cultivate and manufacture cannabis products.
Some tribal communities have made their own mark in the industry for several years now and have seen a lot of success. In 2014, the Flandreau Santee Sioux legalized medical and recreational marijuana for tribal members. However, off reservation customers (usually non-Natives), were unable to buy from them. In 2021 things changed when South Dakota legalized medical marijuana. As a result, Flandreau opened up the Native Nations Cannabis dispensary and sells to anyone who is eligible for medical marijuana.
Every week they harvest around 80 pounds of the green stuff, and their laboratory can process around 400 pounds per day. Around 60 people are employed by Native Nations Cannabis. They stock THC vape cartridges and pre-rolled joints with names like Blackberry Lemonade, Blue Dream, Bubblegum Kush, and Cantaloupe Haze. They also sell CBD based products such as bath salts, massage oil, lotions, and CBD coffee.
Native Nations dispensary manufactures all of its own products and establishes their own fees and prices which are way lower than other dispensaries in the area. Flandreau also works with and provides guidance to other tribal communities who do not want to enter into compacts with the state. A compact is an “agreement” between tribal governments and state governments that the state will act in “good faith” toward tribes and their business enterprises. Usually, a compact results in the tribe paying the state a percentage of their earnings.
The Flandreau refused to enter into a compact with the state of South Dakota and have good reason. Historically, state governments are antagonistic toward tribal economic sovereignty. Compacts although shrouded in “good faith” terminology, are essentially a form of legalized extortion as tribes who do not pay can have their business raided by state police.
Alex White Plume, from the Oglala Lakota, was one of the first people on his reservation to start planting hemp back in 2000. His crops were raided several times between 2000 and 2002 and he was ordered to stop growing them. In 2016 he began working with Evo Hemp, after federal restrictions were lifted, to make hemp products.
Evo Hemp works with 40 Acre Cooperative, regarded as the first national Black farmer co-op since the days of the reconstruction era. The co-op is located in Minnesota and strives to create innovative opportunities for Black and Indigenous farmers by providing supplies and training for its members who span across several states and two tribal communities. Evo Hemp sells products such as lip balm, gummies, chocolates, and sleep aids.
Other tribal communities are creating policies to get involved with the cannabis industry as hemp and marijuana suppliers. The Oneida Nation in Wisconsin are looking to hemp as a resource for “hempcrete” and for use as an insulation. The Sisseton Tribe wants to use hemp as a fiber to make things like shopping bags. Just last month, on March 22nd, 2022, the Osage Nation passed legislation to approve use of industrial hemp.
Although these are positive economic initiatives, there are still concerns about the federal government imposing policies that may stifle our resolve as they have done in the past with gaming enterprises and cigarette shops on tribal lands. In any case, it is apparent tribal governments are viewing the cannabis industry a means to assert self-determination and economic independence to better our communities.
