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Forbes
21-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
More Indigenous Tribes Are Launching Cannabis Markets
ICIA and Vicente LLP recently released their map of cannabis and hemp activity among Tribal ... More communities. About one in four indigenous Tribes in the U.S. have active cannabis or hemp programs, according to a newly-released map from the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA) and law firm Vicente LLP. Washington has the highest concentration of indigenous cannabis programs. Minnesota, Nevada and California also have high concentrations, showing that Tribal nations are increasingly partaking in growing legal weed and hemp markets. Due to their sovereign status, Tribal cannabis dispensaries can get around local prohibitions, though for the most part, those dispensaries operate in states that already allows legal weed. About 26% of the 574 federally recognized sovereign indigenous communities have cannabis or hemp businesses operating in them, including 52 Tribal communities operate federally approved hemp cultivation programs. ICIA and Vicente developed their map using research and interviews with Tribal leaders, in order to assess the health of the emerging indigenous cannabis industry. 'This research project will highlight the thoughtful work that has gone into these sovereign regulatory programs as well as how these businesses affect local employment and revenue for community services,' said ICIA founder Rob Pero. 'Together, we hope to inform, inspire and empower other Indigenous communities considering cannabis as well as policy makers around the world.' The federal government's practice of allowing Tribal communities to make their own laws has made it easier to open a retail pot shop. The Department of Justice's 2014 Wilkinson Memo affirmed that the agency would deprioritize enforcing federal cannabis violations on Tribal land. 'The United States Attorneys recognize that effective federal law enforcement in Indian Country, including marijuana enforcement, requires consultation with our Tribal partners in the districts and flexibility to confront the particular, yet sometimes divergent, public safety issues that can exist on any single reservation,' said the memo, which was written by DOJ Director Monty Wilkinson. Most of the indigenous communities with their own cannabis programs are geographically located within states that also have legal adult-use programs, such as New York, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, California and Washington. 'Indigenous cannabis programs are a vital piece of America's cannabis movement,' said Andrew Livingston, Director of Economics and Market Analysis at Vicente LLP. 'And these businesses deserve recognition. The goal of our study is to provide information on how different Indigenous communities have established their regulated cannabis programs, the size of the economic opportunity, and the ways that regulating cannabis can be structured in the future to further the goals of each community.' For some indigenous communities, cannabis provides a way to generate wealth that is less reliant on federal aid, whose availability is becoming more precarious under the Trump Administration. "One of the primary reasons the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association was founded was to explore and implement self-reliant economic revenue streams that ensure financial sovereignty for our people – outside of gaming where applicable, but more importantly, outside of reliance on federal funding," said Pero in a released statement in response to possible federal fund freezes from the Trump Administration in February. 'The abrupt nature of this directive underscores the urgent need for tribes to strengthen their own financial security by investing in emerging industries where we hold unique advantages and have the potential to build thriving, self-sustaining economies.' The Squaxin Island Tribe opened the first state-recognized Tribal cannabis business in the country in November, 2015. The new store, which was opened in Washington, was just one of many offering cannabis in the state three years after voter legalized it. Although it can easier for cannabis businesses to launch on Tribal land when the surrounding state recognizes legal weed, there is certainly demand for access to cannabis in states where it remains illegal. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opened, the Great Smoky Cannabis Company. the first medical cannabis dispensary in North Carolina a little over a year ago on 4/20 2024. The dispensary expanded to adult-use in August. Other times, indigenous cannabis companies would spring up after a state voted to legalize, but before that state finalized the regulations to govern the upcoming cannabis market. For example, the St. Regis Mohawk reservation, which straddles the border between upstate New York and Canada across the Lawrence River, exploded with pot shops shortly after New York legalized in the summer of 2022. Business owners on the reservation had the added benefit of being able to transport cannabis, sometimes on boat across the river, from the Canadian-side of the Tribal land. Similarly, the White Earth Nation in Minnesota made an early move into cannabis shortly after the state legalized adult-use. Minnesota is currently preparing to hold its first license lottery with the hope of launching its own adult-use market before the end of the year. In the meantime, White Earth Nation will be among those getting the first shot at Minnesota customers as they are taking advantage of a deal with the state government allowing tribes to operate up to five dispensaries outside of Tribal land.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Map Shows One In Four Continental U.S. Tribes Work In Cannabis Or Hemp
The Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA) released the first-ever map of Tribal cannabis and hemp programs, completed in collaboration with Vicente LLP. The map shops the true extent of involvement that federally recognized Tribes have carved out in the cannabis and hemp industries. According to the announcement, 52 Tribal communities currently run federally approved hemp cultivation operations. Of the 574 federally recognized Indigenous communities nationwide—358 of which are in the continental United States—approximately 26% are involved in cannabis or hemp programs. The first regulated Indigenous cannabis retail operation opened in Washington state in 2010. Rob Pero, otherwise known as Bad River Ojibwe, is founder of Canndigenous, the first independent Indigenous-owned hemp company in Wisconsin, as well as the founder of the ICIA. 'Industries like cannabis and hemp offer unique advantages for tribes, including regulatory sovereignty, geographic benefits, and cultural expertise,' Pero told Forbes last February. In 2022, Canndigenous, operating under the 2018 Farm Bill, became the first Indigenous-owned entity to receive a USDA Climate-Smart Commodities grant, worth $15 million. "By collaborating on cultivation, processing, distribution, and market access, tribes can create a self-reinforcing economic network that benefits all Indigenous nations, regardless of where they are in their cannabis or hemp development," Pero said. "Those who have already established successful operations can mentor and support those just beginning, ensuring that no tribe is left behind as these industries grow. This is not just about individual success—it's about collective economic sovereignty and reinforcing tribal self-determination for generations to come.' The ICIA and Vicente LLP's new map indicates the ongoing progress across Indigenous communities in the U.S. According to the map, locations of Indigenous cannabis programs are in blue and hemp programs in red. Federally approved Native American reservations are in green. Clusters of programs on the map indicate Indigenous-led enterprises that are developing successful supply chains and distribution networks. The goal of the new map is to indicate the size of their economic opportunities. 'Indigenous cannabis programs are a vital piece of America's cannabis movement,' said Andrew Livingston, Director of Economics and Market Analysis at Vicente LLP. 'And these businesses deserve recognition. The goal of our study is to provide information on how different Indigenous communities have established their regulated cannabis programs, the size of the economic opportunity, and the ways that regulating cannabis can be structured in the future to further the goals of each community.' Denver-based Vicente LLP was formerly called Vicente Sederberg, representing clients in the cannabis and psychedelics industries. The team works tirelessly on state and local cannabis policy reform. Tribal communities in the U.S. possess a form of sovereignty, providing ways to establish their own cannabis laws. In some cases, they operate in conflict with state law in surrounding areas, such as in North Carolina or South Dakota. 'This research project will highlight the thoughtful work that has gone into these sovereign regulatory programs as well as how these businesses affect local employment and revenue for community services,' Pero said in the press release. 'Together, we hope to inform, inspire and empower other Indigenous communities considering cannabis as well as policy makers around the world.' The ICIA recently wrapped up its 1st annual fundraising golf tournament at the Red Wolf Golf Club in Clarkston, Washington. Tribes across the continent are getting involved in hemp and cannabis, possessing the unique opportunity to establish their own regulations.
