(Ethete, WY) – The Northern Arapaho Business Council has voted unanimously to authorize and regulate hemp production within Northern Arapaho Tribe-controlled lands of the Wind River Reservation.
NABC officials believe the plan – which requires approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – will help generate economic development, including new jobs and revenue to support Tribal services and programs.
“This plan will enable the Arapaho people to tap into a growing market for hemp-related products, including the popularity of foods and other goods infused with CBD,” said NABC Chairman Jordan Dresser. “We believe hemp is another way the Arapaho people can use our land to create good jobs and economic opportunity here on the Wind River Reservation, and that protects our Tribal sovereignty and independence.”
Hemp has a very low percentage of THC, the psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana, and can be made into a wide variety of products – everything from clothing to rope, food products and more. Hemp has existed as a crop for thousands of years, but in recent decades was outlawed in the U.S. In 2018, Congress authorized tribes to regulate hemp production as long as they submit their plan to the USDA for approval.