Forbes
A series of events following an order to freeze federal funds led to confusion that impacted Indigenous communities across the U.S. Many members of these communities operate daily in the cannabis industry.
On Jan. 27, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo calling for a federal funding freeze on thousands of government programs, following an executive order from President Donald Trump ordering federal agencies to temporarily pause all disbursements of federal funding. Two days later, the Trump administration rescinded a memo after it led to widespread confusion, such as whether or not it would impact housing, education, nonprofits, and so on. A federal judge issued a temporary pause on implementation of OMB’s memo on Jan. 2, and a second judge followed with a restraining order.
The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) issued a statement last week about the disproportionate impact of a potential federal funding freeze on their community. “Tribal Nations, more so than almost any other community, will be negatively impacted by this decision,” said NARF Executive Director John Echohawk.
Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association Reacts
Amid the threat of a federal funding freeze and its speedy correction, the ICIA released a statement Tuesday addressing the federal funding freeze saga and its impact on the cannabis industry and Indigenous communities across the U.S. The ICIA works to unite Native American tribes around the cannabis plant and build an equitable and sustainable Indigenous cannabis industry through sensible policy.
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Can’t find anything on their website re this statement unfortunately.
