During the 1980’s, the casino industry brought billions of dollars in revenues in the tribal economies, thus diminishing the number of people living in poverty. According to the National Indian Gaming Commission, the casino industry provided an estimated $30 billion of revenues last year. Experts hope that developing industrial hemp can also generate the same revenue for the Native American tribes.
Hemp is from the family of plants that produce marijuana. Cultivating hemp needs a permit from the US Drug Enforcement Administration since it can only be produced strictly for research. Nevertheless, in 2014, the Department of Justice gave leniency for hemp cultivation. This, with the provision that the tribes will set cannabis-related laws just like the states are able to do.
The largest federally recognized tribe, the Navajo Nation and the Native American-owned CannaNative LLC arranged final negotiations on developing industrial hemp.
The ‘gray area’ of hemp
Hemp contains less than 1 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant. The federal law classifies hemp and other cannabis varieties as a dangerous drug with no positive medicinal importance. Nonetheless, it is widely used in the variety of products from food to construction materials.
A Very Hemp Business
The United States solely depends on hemp imports because there is no “large-scale commercial” hemp market in the country.
Based on the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) calculations, in the year 2013 alone, the entire US retail value of the product was at $581 million. However, Congressional Research Service disputed the report saying the numbers are “under-reported”. This is due to the report excluding the sales of L’Oreal SA’s The Body Shop and Whole Foods Market Inc. These are the two leading retailers of hemp-based products.
Al Henderson, the senior Navajo economic adviser said, “The industrial hemp project could probably overtake Indian gaming, not only in terms of employment but also in terms of revenue to the Navajo”. He pointed out the 360,000 constituents of the tribe had an unemployment rate of 40% to 50%.
The ‘other way’ around
Anthony Rivera, the CannaNative CEO justified that cultivating industrial hemp will help the aging Native American residents. They can treasure their culture by growing plant-based medicine and decrease the necessity in relying on the American taxpayer’s money.
He said in an interview with Reuters, “We can’t wait for the federal government … so we are working with tribes to pass their own laws in consultation with federal authorities to demonstrate that we are doing this legally and responsibly,
According to Chief Executive of Medical Marijuana Inc (MMI) Stu Titus, the affiliation with the Navajo Nation will help hemp cultivation in the country. Further, it will also lessen the cost up to 25%. He said, “Our goal is to plant our initial pilot program test crop in the spring of 2017 in the Navajo Nation”.
The post A Promising Future in Hemp Cultivation For Native Americans appeared first on Newsline.
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