International Women’s Day, Native American Leader Reclaims Her Tribe’s Cannabis Legacy
Mary Jane Oatman, an icon in the cannabis industry and a leader in her community, is on a mission to spread the word about the benefits of cannabis and to ensure that Native American voices are heard and traditions respected in the burgeoning legal cannabis market.
Oatman’s connection to cannabis runs deep. Her people, the Nez Perce tribe, have a 16,000-year history with the plant, using hemp rope in their creation story and incorporating sacred pipes and herbal blends into their practices. Yet, colonization and federal cannabis prohibition have disrupted this relationship.
“We have been displaced from so much of our plant cultures, but this new green revolution is helping to restore these relationships,” said Oatman, who is the executive director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA) and founder of the Indigenous CANNabis Coalition (ICANNC).
Oatman, a past president of the Idaho ACLU and founding board member for the JUSTUS Foundation, has also served on the Minority Cannabis Business Association board.
In 2009, Oatman was the youngest member appointed by President Barack Obama …