Cannabis Impacts on Native Lands: On the Need for Inclusion of Native Perspectives in Extension Work

Authors

Jeremy Sorgen, University of California, BerkeleyFollow
Seth LaRosa, University of California, BerkeleyFollow
Jennifer Sowerwine, University of California, BerkeleyFollow
Van Butsic, University of California, Berkeley
Peter Nelson, University of California, Berkeley
Melanie McCavour, Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria
Shasta Gaughen, Pala Band of Mission Indians
Anna Starkey, United Auburn Indian Community

Volume

63

Issue

2

DOI

10.34068/joe.63.02.19

Abstract

This article highlights the need for Cooperative Extension to increase awareness of Tribal concerns around activities that impact land, natural resources, and water. A research team at UC Berkeley worked with a Tribal Advisory Committee to conduct a survey of Tribal representatives’ perceptions of cannabis impacts on Native lands and cultural resources. The results show that there is widespread concern among Native communities about the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation, especially to water quality, access, and availability. These concerns underscore the need to include Native communities in Extension’s agricultural and natural resource activities across all regions and sectors.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Sorgen, J., LaRosa, S., Sowerwine, J., Butsic, V., Nelson, P., McCavour, M., Gaughen, S., & Starkey, A. (2025). Cannabis Impacts on Native Lands: On the Need for Inclusion of Native Perspectives in Extension Work. The Journal of Extension, 63(2), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.63.02.19