A cannabis plant. Photo from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikipedia
A father and son from the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma has launched a marijuana consulting business. The leadership team at Flying Eagle Advisors includes Thomas Mathews and his father, J.R. Mathews. Thomas is the current vice chairman of the tribe and J.R. is a former chairman and former vice chairman. Flying Eagle just entered into an agreement with Aquaris Cannabis to develop marijuana ventures in Indian Country. The two firms will work together on distribution, branding and cultivation. “The opportunity to partner with Native American tribes for marijuana cultivation projects is a key strategy for Aquarius Cannabis to achieve its objective of providing safe, quality, consistent marijuana products to patients and consumers nationwide,” Davis Lawyer, CEO of Aquarius Cannabis, said in a press release. “We’re thrilled to partner with Aquarius Cannabis on our Native American cannabis deals," said Danny Federhofer, a senior advisor at Flying Eagle. "The Aquarius team brings cultivation expertise, legal expertise, and proven branding success in marijuana products, all of which are crucial to the success of Native American deals." Tribes across the nation have been interested in getting into the marijuana industry. A Department of Justice policy -- known as the 2014 Wilkinson memo -- seemingly opened the door to such ventures in Indian Country. But many remain wary because tribes in California and Wisconsin have been raided by state and federal authorities. Another tribe in South Dakota burned all of its marijuana crops out of fear of some sort of enforcement action. So far, only two tribes in Washington have successfully entered the industry and more in the state are poised to do the same. Marijuana is legal there for medicinal and recreational use. Relevant Documents:
Department of Justice Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)
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