When it comes to marijuana legalization, Wisconsin is an island amongst our other Midwest neighbors that have legalized it for recreational or medical use. There are some laws and loopholes that allow certain forms of the plant — such as CBD and hemp to be used in the state.
In 2021, the first independent Native American-owned hemp farm and CBD retailer was established in Cambridge, Wisconsin. It's called Canndigenous. And recently, founder Rob Pero launched a national nonprofit called the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association to help other Indigenous cannabis entrepreneurs navigate the industry in each of their states.
While describing his motivation for getting into the cannabis field, Pero says, "I love cannabis ... I have to be open about that and being proud to say it, which I think is a big step in the [right] direction, cause a lot of people still are afraid to kind of come out of that green closet," says Pero.
He dedicates his work and businesses to the other Indigenous people and communities that have supported him. But, once he got up and running, he wanted to share his knowledge with other cannabis entrepreneurs like himself — especially those who live in states, like Wisconsin, with complex marijuana laws.
Pero says, "There's so much stigma with cannabis and our people that I just felt like if there was ever a perfect marriage of words, this was it ... [and] would be an untapped potential for our indigenous communities to really own this while also destigmatizing what cannabis is."
The methods of doing this include selling CBD nationally where it is legal while also doing sourcing and quality control for other tribal brands.
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