Mary Jane Oatman

Founder

Indigenous Cannabis Coalition

Isn’t it strange that many aspects of the cannabis industry are scrutinized down to the smallest detail, yet we know so little about this continent’s original peoples – Native Americans – and their experience with and connection to cannabis? Mary Jane Oatman, a descendant of Chief Looking Glass of the Nez Perce Tribe of the Columbia River Plateau, wants to change that.

Originally from Kamiah, in north-central Idaho, she is launching a nonprofit company called the Indigenous Cannabis Coalition. One project is to develop an interactive map that shows all the Native American cannabis and hemp cultivators, processors, testing facilities, and dispensaries in the nation. This directory, which will include companies run by tribes as well as those run by tribal members, will encourage Native American-owned cannabis businesses to support one another and band together.

As an extension of that work, Oatman is also launching a quarterly educational magazine cleverly titled THC (Tribal Hemp and Cannabis).