Tribal members petition to reopen grazing bids

MISSION — On January 19, 2023, a petition with 74 signatures was presented, reviewed, and approved by the CTUIR General Council, requesting all CTUIR grazing bids be withdrawn and allowing tribal members the opportunity to rebid.

The petition stemmed from complaints from CTUIR Tribal members because of the lack of notification of the grazing bids for lease on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The notice for grazing bids was advertised in the East Oregonian newspaper, posted in the Bureau of Indian Affairs office for approximately 30 days and mailed to 66 people. One CTUIR tribal member submitted a bid, however the bid was incomplete and not accepted.

In response to the petition, the CTUIR’s Office of the Executive Director (OED), Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) staff held a listening session on Wednesday, January 26, 2023 to identify grazing needs and opportunities for CTUIR Tribal members on the Umatilla Indian Reservation and identify improved notification processes to avoid further miscommunication.

At the January 19, 2022 General Council meeting, Executive Director Donald Sampson identified the immediate need to develop a tribal preference policy, organize workshops and outreach on the grazing

MARIJUANA from Page 1 legalized medical marijuana in 1998 and recreational marijuana in July of 2015. lease process, and schedule tours of the upcoming grazing and pasture leases. He stated the most of the leases would be available in late 2023 and 2025. The OED also determined that CTUIR Tribal members should be afforded proper notices on all future grazing and pasture lease notices. DNR and BIA will post this information on the CTUIR website, in the Confederated Umatilla Journal (CUJ), on CTUIR social media sites, and post public notices at tribal facilities.

However, future CTUIR codes and regulations will be needed before any onreservation hemp or marijuana-related businesses are allowed, according to Tribal attorney Brent Leonhard, who fashioned the amendments.

Under the criminal code amendment, hemp, which is used in myriad ways ranging from healing agents to the creation of clothes and rope, will no longer fall under the federal definition of marijuana, but a future hemp code will need to meet USDA regulatory requirements.

“The business side of things will take time to ensure they are done right and any business venture the tribes decide to undertake is sustainable and profitable,” Leonhard wrote.

BOT members voted in favor of the amendments with an eye on diversifying the CTUIR economy, but they also agreed that the code changes will allow individuals to use medical marijuana without fear of arrest or citation.

Corinne Sams, a BOT memberat-large and a member of the CTUIR Law & Order Commission, said the amendments were needed so the CTUIR could consider hemp and cannabis-related business opportunities. (Sams noted that the Law & Order Commission in late December approved the proposed amendments with a recommendation to the BOT for adoption.)

“We know that economic diversity is important, and this is a great foundational step by opening the door to explore the economic potential of hemp- and cannibas-related businesses,” Sams said.

The alignment of state and tribal laws also ensures the CTUIR has an option to compact with the state for future businesses within the industry.

Changes to CTUIR Criminal Code

In the explanatory e-mail, the OLC laid out the specific criminal code changes:

For Possession:

Any 21 or older can possess up to:

• 8 ounces of usable marijuana if on private property or in a private vehicle (dried leaves and flowers) or 1 ounces of useable marijuana if in public (dried leaves and flowers),

Aaron Ashley, BOT Vice-Chair, said he, too, agreed that marijuana-related businesses could benefit the CTUIR.

“In all honesty, it was the economic aspect of it,” Ashley said. “The diversification opportunities it offers.”

Ashley said the CTUIR cannot rely solely on gaming and, if such marijuana-related businesses are created, revenue generated would not only help tribal government, but “would lead to enterprise revenue allocation/distribution to the tribal membership” similar to Arrowhead and Cayuse Holdings, two other businesses owned by the CTUIR.

Sams said that by legalizing marijuana, “we are leveraging our right to self-govern by creating equitable laws for our people and establishing longoverdue economic pathways that may be able to provide significant financial resources for the CTUIR.”

Ashley said that legalizing marijuana and, by extension hemp, the CTUIR is exercising its self-governance rights.

“It’s an exertion of our sovereignty to show the world we can do it. And we will do it,” Ashley said.

Both Sams and Ashley also addressed the potential benefits for tribal members.

“I believe this will reduce barriers for individual tribal members, our community, and all those who have been negatively impacted by the enforcement of marijuana-related laws,” Sams said. “Medical users of cannabis have been denied the right to

• If an Oregon Marijuana Medical Marijuana Program cardholder or designated primary caregiver of someone with an Oregon Medical Marijuana Program cardholder, 24 ounces of usable marijuana (dried leaves and flowers) on private property or in a private vehicle,

• 1 ounce cannabinoid extract or concentrate that is purchased from a marijuana retailer licensed by the CTUIR or the State of Oregon,

• 16 ounces of cannabinoid product in solid form that is purchased from a marijuana retailer licensed by the CTUIR or the State of Oregon,

• 72 ounces of cannabinoid product in liquid form that is purchased from a marijuana retailer licensed by the CTUIR or the State of Oregon,

• 10 marijuana seeds, or

• 4 marijuana plants.

For Purchasing from a licensed retailer, etc:

A nyone 21 or older can purchase from a marijuana retailer licensed by the CTUIR or State of Oregon at any one time or within one day (or share, give away, receive, or grow) the following products at any one time or within one day from a licensed retailer, up to:

• 2 ounces of usable marijuana (dried leaves and flowers),

• If an Oregon Medical Marijuana Program cardholder or designated primary caregiver of someone with an Oregon Medical Marijuana Program cardholder, 8 ounces of usable marijuana (dried leaves and flowers) in one day or 32 ounces in one month,

• 5 grams of cannabinoid extract or concentrate,

• 16 ounces of cannabinoid product in solid form,

• 72 ounces of cannabinoid product in liquid form that is purchased from a marijuana retailer licensed by the CTUIR or the State of Oregon,

• 10 marijuana seeds, or use medical marijuana as an alternative to opiods for pain management and other health needs. Equity and access to quality alternative health methods have been egnore for far too long.”

• 4 immature marijuana plants.

Ashley said there is a long list of benefits, not the least of which will be the removal of pre-employment testing.

“We know there is a safety aspect, for safety sensitive positions with the CTUIR, and we have taken that into consideration,” Ashley said. “However, that pool is fairly small in comparison to the benefits legalizing would provide.”