First Tribal Cannabis Compacts Established in Nevada

A national cannabis consulting firm just succeeded in establishing compacts between Nevada’s governor and some Native American tribes.

According to a press release sent out by Tribal Cannabis Consulting, compacts were established between the Ely Shoshne and the Yerington Paiute tribes and the Nevada’s Governor’s Office. This comes in the wake of a new law established during the latest 2017 Nevada legislative session. Cassandra Dittus, founder and president of Tribal Cannabis Consulting, lobbied to pass SB-375, despite opposition from multiple detractors. The bill allows for tribes and states to work together on compacts allowing for cannabis legalization or regulation by Native American tribes.

“We quickly learned that no one tribe is the same as another. They each have very unique values, histories, and membership that reflect the opportunities they have or don’t have with the cannabis industry,” stated Dittus in the Tribal Cannabis Consulting press release. She was one of the major proponents of getting this new legislation passed, and now is happy to assist with the first compacts.

This essentially means that Nevada will now work hand in hand with these tribes so that they are able to legalize and regulate cannabis as they see fit. At the same time, they will abide by state law and make sure that nothing goes outside of tribal borders if it’s not supposed to. Tribes will have autonomy regarding how they want to regulate cannabis within their borders.

According to their press release, “Tribal Cannabis Consulting offers a nuanced approach to a full spectrum of industry needs in Native American communities. The firm helps tribes to set up their own regulatory systems and successfully expand their economic presence in the national cannabis market.”

This is groundbreaking legislation for Native Americans who want to be able to cultivate cannabis by their own laws without molestation for nearby states. It is also an important step for cannabis legalization in general, especially considering that cannabis is rapidly expanding in the state of Nevada.