From left to right: Tex Hall, former U.S. Congressman Rick Berg, former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) during an April 2012 visit to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota. Photo by Tami A. Heilemann / Department of the Interior
Tex Hall, a former chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota and a former president of the National Congress of American Indians, believes marijuana represents a huge opportunity for tribes. Hall's company, Red Tipped Arrow, partnered with Wright Family Organics, a marijuana firm, to launch Native American Organics. The new venture will help tribes grow and produce the drug. "In a matter of time, this industry could be just as big as gaming is for tribes, if not bigger," Hall told Reuters. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. But a new Department of Justice policy could open the door to tribes that want to legalize the drug. A number of tribes have expressed interest in cultivating marijuana although none have started production. Two in California, where the drug is legal for medial purposes, appear to be close to starting operations. As for North Dakota, the drug is not legal there. But the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, whose reservation crosses the state, has expressed interested in growing hemp, a close relative of marijuana. Robert Shepherd, the former chairman of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, whose reservation also extends into North Dakota, supports marijuana and hemp in Indian Country. He serves as Tribal Relations Officer for Monarch America, a cannabis development firm. Get the Story:
After oil, ex-ND Indian leader Tex Hall forms marijuana firm (Reuters 6/2) Relevant Documents:
Department of Justice Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)
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