Utah Tribe Considering Medical Cannabis Operations

The Paiute Tribe of Utah is considering a move into the medical cannabis business, Salt Lake City Fox 13 reports. The tribe expressed interest in the venture in a private meeting with Republican Gov. Spencer Cox to discuss how the state and tribes could work together.

In the Fox 13 interview, Tribal Chair Corrina Bow said the effort could help tribal members who need medical cannabis for health issues and act as an economic boost to the largely rural tribe.

“I think it would be good because we also have some of our elders that actually have been having to go out of state to get this. It would be a great opportunity for a lot of them. A lot of them are in rural areas which need it.”— Bow to Fox 13

Tribal Leader Tamra Borchardt-Slayton said the effort may range from “growing, to cultivation sites, to possibly having stores.” She points to the Nevada Las Vegas Paiute Tribe which operates a 16,000 square foot dispensary in southern Nevada, despite cannabis remaining illegal on the federal level.

“That relationship is working,” she said. “Their tribe is flourishing based on the economic revenue that is coming in. Because of that, [the tribe is] able to offer more programs.”

The Governor’s Office did not comment further on the tribe’s interest and Bow told Fox 13 she was “not really sure” how the governor responded.