Navajos Amend Marijuana Regulations
Plans to turn Shiprock into a marijuana metropolis may be going up in smoke.
Council Chambers in Window Rock
The Navajo Nation Council passed Resolution CS-76-20, which amends the Navajo Nation Criminal Code to clarify the legal definition of “marijuana,” and to allow for the civil forfeiture of property, for individuals found liable for offenses related to the possession, manufacturing, transportation, sale, use, trade, or delivery of marijuana. The new provisions also require Navajo Nation officials convicted of violating marijuana offenses to forfeit employment or elected office.
The bill passed council by a 16-4 vote and was signed into law by Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer.
Former Navajo presidential candidate Dineh Benally seemed to flout tribal norms by operating several greenhouses that produce hemp in the Shiprock area.
Farmers should be able to grow whatever crops they want, said Benally, who…
