Judge Dismisses Plea from Menominee Indian Tribe

A judge did not agree with a lawsuit from the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin because of a raid from the federal government on the industrial hemp they grew on tribal land. Back in November, the tribe decided to sue both the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Justice. This was after the  Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Justice decided to eradicate the tribe’s entire hemp fields on its land in northeastern Wisconsin.

Industrial hemp typically has less than three percent THC. However, the amount varies by state. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that gets you high. Hemp has many other commercial uses, though. It can be used in oils for health and beauty products, as well as building materials. In the past, it was heavily used for construction because of its impressive durability. The tribe would like to look into farming hemp as a way to uplift its poor economy.

Because of federal law, hemp can be farmed for research purposes in states that have legalized the plant for that use. The Department of Justice argued that the plant was illegal for Native Americans because Wisconsin has not passed any laws allowing for hemp. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin refuted it did not need to followed Wisconsin’s prohibition and that under the Farm Bill, the tribe should be able to grow hemp in the same manner as states such as Kentucky and Colorado.

United States District Judge William Griesbach decided that the tribe is not exempt from the laws because it is based in Wisconsin. He dismissed their plea for a pre-emptive ruling that the hemp they were growing was legal and could not be taken from them by the federal government. Back in October, federal agents took around 30,000 cannabis plants from the tribe’s reservation close to Shawano.