Navajo Looking to Develop Industrial Hemp Farming on Tribal Lands
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The Navajo Tribe has signed a resolution to grow industrial hemp on tribal lands, another step undermining federal prohibition in effect.
According to a report published in Forbes, the Navajo will work with CannaNative to develop industrial hemp farming. The organization assists tribes in developing hemp and cannabis-based economies on Native American lands throughout the United States.
“I believe that the Indian cannabis industry will far surpass the Indian gaming industry,” said CannaNative chief executive officer Anthony Rivera. While gaming has been lucrative, it hasn’t benefited all tribes and casino growth numbers are slowing. The Indian community sees industrial hemp as a revenue source that will level the play field for all tribes.
As a next step, CannaNative officials will meet with the Navajo Agricultural Products Industries (NAPI) farms CEO to arrange for a signed MOU/Resolution to proceed.
Rivera told Forbes his organization will work with closely with Navajo commerce and agricultural divisions. Tribal lands cover parts of New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. The farm where they plan to begin industrial hemp production is in New Mexico.
State law could play a major role in the development of a Navajo hemp industry. In 2015, the feds raided a farm on the Menominee Indian reservation in Wisconsin and eradicated 30,000 cannabis plants planted for hemp research. The feds contend they contained THC levels above those allowable for hemp.The tribe lost a lawsuit with the federal judge saying that because Wisconsin hasn’t legalized marijuana, the tribe couldn’t grow it within state borders.
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