Indigenously-owned Cannabis Businesses – An Overview 

 

Information will be updated here as it becomes available. Check back for updates!  Please note; while we aim to keep this page fully up to date with the latest information, cannabis laws are always changing.  We encourage you to verify these rules and regulations in the official legal text, which we’ve linked throughout the page for your convenience.

Source(s):

Cannabis businesses operated on tribal land refer to the cultivation, distribution, and sale of cannabis and cannabis products on land that is owned and governed by Native American tribes.

In the Cole Memorandum to the US Attorneys, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a policy stating that tribes have the authority to regulate and legalize cannabis on their own land, as long as they follow certain guidelines, such as preventing the distribution of cannabis to minors and preventing cannabis from being transported to states where it is illegal.

  1. Preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors; 
  2. Preventing revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to criminal enterprises, gangs, and cartels; 
  3. Preventing the diversion of marijuana from states where it is legal under state law in some form to other states;
  4. Preventing state-authorized marijuana activity from being used as a cover or pretext for the trafficking of other illegal drugs or illegal activity; 
  5. Preventing violence and the use of firearms in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana; 
  6. Preventing drugged driving and the exacerbation of other adverse public health consequences associated with marijuana use; 
  7. Preventing the growing of marijuana on public lands and the attendant public safety and environmental dangers posed by marijuana production on public lands; and 8. Preventing marijuana possession of use on federal property.

Since the release of this policy, there have been numerous tribes that have successfully launched cannabis businesses on their land. These businesses can include dispensaries, cultivation facilities, and manufacturing operations. Some tribes have also entered into partnerships with non-tribal cannabis companies to expand their operations.

Operating a cannabis business on tribal land comes with challenges and uncertainty but is a channel in which these businesses can generate sustainable revenue for their communities. One challenge in particular is the lack of a formal regulatory body/regulations that help ensure a prosperous and safe market. That is where Biotrack comes in. From local government solutions to retail POS to cultivation software – our industry leading seed-to-sale software gives tribal operators all the tools necessary to grow their business.

Cultivation facility: An entity registered with the department that acquires, possesses, cultivates, delivers, transfers, transports, supplies, or sells cannabis and related supplies to medical cannabis establishments.

What kind of tracking system do I need to operate a Cultivation Facility?

Most states require an extensive seed-to-sale cannabis tracking system to monitor cultivation efforts and inventory.  Similarly, some tribes will require the use of a shared traceability system that will allow visibility into their program as a whole. In absence of a mandated traceability system, tribal operators use  our cultivation seed-to-sale-tracking solution to run their businesses. Our software provides comprehensive data tracking with an emphasis on compliance in addition to other features needed to run a cannabis business such as labeling, invoicing, plant management and more. 

CULTIVATION FEATURES INCLUDE

  • Comprehensive Labeling Tool: Customizable labeling tool based on variables, images, test results, and more
  • Harvesting/Batching Tools
  • Distribution Workflows: Create invoices, purchase orders, and delivery manifests
  • Compliance: Ensure compliance with state regulations through built-in compliance checks.
  • Inventory Auditing: Perform audits on your entire inventory to reconcile numbers to the exact milligram
  • Hardware Integration: Integrated Scales, Scanners, printers
  • Conversion Tracking: Convert products into single or multiple by-products, while maintaining a complete chain of custody. Log cost per gram calculations, product notifications, and recalls
  • Advanced Reporting & Insights: Generate detailed reports on yields, genealogy, vendors, audits and more
  • EXPERIENCE : Providing reliable Cultivation software to the cannabis space since 2010

If you are interested in learning more, Request a demo today

Cannabis product manufacturing facility: An entity registered with the department that acquires, possesses, manufactures, delivers, transfers, transports, supplies, or sells cannabis products to a medical cannabis dispensary.

What kind of tracking system do I need to operate a Manufacturing or Processing Facility?

Most states require an extensive seed-to-sale cannabis tracking system to monitor cultivation efforts and inventory.  Similarly, some tribes will require the use of a shared traceability system that will allow visibility into their program as a whole. In absence of a mandated traceability system, tribal operators use our Manufacturing seed-to-sale-tracking solution to run their businesses. Our software provides comprehensive data tracking with an emphasis on compliance in addition to other features needed to run a cannabis business such as labeling, invoicing, conversion tracking and more. 

MANUFACTURING  FEATURES INCLUDE

  • Comprehensive Labeling Tool: Customizable labeling tool based on variables, images, test results, and more
  • Distribution Workflows: Create invoices, purchase orders, and delivery manifests
  • Compliance: Ensure compliance with state regulations through built-in compliance checks.
  • Inventory Auditing: Perform audits on your entire inventory to reconcile numbers to the exact milligram
  • Hardware Integration: Integrated Scales, Scanners, printers
  • Conversion Tracking: Convert products into single or multiple by-products, while maintaining a complete chain of custody. Log cost per gram calculations, product notifications, and recalls
  • Advanced Reporting & Insights: Generate detailed reports on sales, inventory, vendors, audits and more
  • EXPERIENCE : Providing reliable Manufacturing software to the cannabis space since 2010

If you are interested in learning more, Request a demo today

Medical Cannabis Dispensary: An entity registered with the department that acquires, possesses, stores, delivers, transfers, transports, sells, supplies, or dispenses cannabis, cannabis products, paraphernalia, or related supplies and educational materials to cardholders.

What kind of Retail software system do I need to operate a Dispensary?

Most states require an extensive seed-to-sale cannabis tracking system to monitor cultivation efforts and inventory.  Similarly, some tribes will require the use of a shared traceability system that will allow visibility into their program as a whole. In absence of a mandated traceability system, tribal-owned dispensaries use our POS software to run their retail storefronts. Our software provides comprehensive data tracking with an emphasis on compliance in addition to other features needed to run a cannabis business such as labeling, invoicing, promotions, customer management, ecommerce integrations and more. 

POS FEATURES INCLUDE

  • Inventory management: Keep track of your inventory levels and automatically update them as sales are made.
  • Sales tracking: Monitor sales in real-time and generate reports on sales data.
  • Compliance: Ensure compliance with state regulations through built-in compliance checks.
  • Proven Integrations: Ecommerce, Customer Experience, Marketing, and more
  • Customer management: Create customer profiles and track customer information.
  • Hardware Integrations: Integrated Scales, Scanners, Printers
  • Advanced Reporting: Generate detailed reports on sales, inventory, and customer data
  • EXPERIENCE : Providing reliable POS software to the cannabis space since 2010

If you are interested in learning more, Request a demo today

Tribal Cannabis Businesses FAQs

What kind of Cannabis business licenses are available on indigenous land?

The types of licenses available depend on the tribe and the state in which the tribe is located. Typically, there are 3 license types – Cultivation, Manufacturing & Retail

Where can I find the rules and regulations governing medical cannabis on indigenous land?

The Rules and Regulations for governing cannabis on Native land and the state in which they are located. The Cole Memorandum outlines the guidelines for operating and regulating cannabis on tribal land, subsequently giving tribes the ability to regulate and govern cannabis operations on their land.

  1. Preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors; 
  2. Preventing revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to criminal enterprises, gangs, and cartels; 
  3. Preventing the diversion of marijuana from states where it is legal under state law in some form to other states;
  4. Preventing state-authorized marijuana activity from being used as a cover or pretext for the trafficking of other illegal drugs or illegal activity; 
  5. Preventing violence and the use of firearms in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana; 
  6. Preventing drugged driving and the exacerbation of other adverse public health consequences associated with marijuana use; 
  7. Preventing the growing of marijuana on public lands and the attendant public safety and environmental dangers posed by marijuana production on public lands; and
  8. Preventing marijuana possession of use on federal property.