
- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act that will legalize cannabis nationwide and present opportunities for people of color to participate in the industry.
Several tribes and Native-owned business enterprises are entering the cannabis industry.
The cannabis industry, which employs over 320,000 workers and generated over $17.5 billion in sales in 2020, also presents a significant opportunity for economic empowerment. The industry saw 32 percent growth in 2020 as well. By 2025, it is estimated that the cannabis industry could have nearly $45.9 billion in annual sales.
People of color make up less than one-fifth of cannabis business owners and managers.
The legislation also addresses the disproportionate rates of marijuana arrests among people of color arrested annually. For example, the U.S. Dept. of Justice’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program revealed Native Americans in South Dakota accounted for 8.9 percent of population in 2016, but comprised 29.3 percent of all marijuana possession arrests that year.
Tom Rodgers, CEO and founder of the Native American Plant Medicine Advisory Council, is in favor of the nationwide legalization of cannabis.
“First and foremost, we have a bill that will legalize cannabis across state lines, ending out-of-date laws in racial profiling that has targeted most of all minority communities, including Native American men and women. It will build on state efforts to wipe out the criminal records of Native Americans who have been arrested for the non-violent use of cannabis,” Rodgers said to Native News Online regarding the new proposed legislation.
Rodgers says the bill will give tribes an opportunity to get in on a multi-billion dollar industry from the ground floor.
“We have lands, a workforce, the ability to raise capital and of course an ancient agrarian heritage. This is a chance to responsibly and thoughtfully spur self-empowerment while diversifying the Native American economy,” Rodgers said.
Last night, Sen. Schumer’s office released a discussion draft of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act that was obtained by Native News Online.
The senators invite members of the public, stakeholders, and federal and state government officials to review the discussion draft and submit feedback on the proposal. Areas addressed in the discussion draft
Areas addressed in the discussion draft include:
- Decriminalization by removing cannabis from the federal list of controlled substances and states’ rights;
- Research, training, and public safety;
- Restorative justice and equity;
- Taxation and regulation; and
- Public health and industry practices.
More Stories Like This
Navajo Nation Council Members Meet with US Treasurer MalerbaTunica-Biloxi Tribe Chairman Marshall Pierite Launches Bid to Become NCAI President
"The Road to Healing" Albuquerque Stop Postponed Due to Threat of Federal Government Shutdown
Events Commemorating Orange Shirt Day 2023
Native Bidaské with Camie Goldhammer, Full Spectrum Indigenous Doula
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.