Wednesday, January 6, 2021 - 6:09 am
AKWESASNE The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe says draft regulations have been developed for governing the cultivation of hemp under the Tribe’s jurisdiction. The draft regulations are now available for a 30-day period for tribal members to submit written comments.
In December 2016, tribal voters were posed with the referendum question: “Should the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe explore options to legalize, license and regulate the cultivation, production and distribution of Industrial Hemp? Sixty-six percentof tribal voters approved the Tribe’s exploration into hemp production; with 353 “Yes” votes, 180 “No” votes, and 4 spoiled ballots.
The U.S. Congress removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act in 2018, which was followed by the USDA issuing regulation in October 2019 that enabled tribes to establish their own hemp production plans. As a result, the Office of the General Counsel has developed Draft Hemp Producti