ABQ to host cannabis summit; groups sue to stop Chaco encroachment

The inaugural Tribal Hemp and Cannabis Summit is scheduled for April 23 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“With this summit, we plan to provide tribes with impartial information that will assist them in their decision making process. Both hemp and cannabis hold a lot of promise, and the opportunities range from manufacturing of supply chain products to full grow operations” said Cristala Mussato-Allen, a member of the Caddo Nation who serves as the executive director of Native Workplace, a co-organizer of the conference along with Kurple Magazine. [indianz]

New Mexico's legislature has been debating decriminalization.

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that would relax penalties for possessing certain amounts of marijuana possession Monday night by a wide 7-3 margin. The bill that now goes before the full Senate could turn out to be yet another symbolic vote on marijuana reform in New Mexico. [Joey Peters, Santa Fe Reporter]

Santa Fe-based Wild Earth Guardians has joined other interested parties in suing the US Bureau of Land Management to stop oil and gas encroachment on Chaco Culture National Historic Park. Rapid City-based Black Hills Exploration and Production is one company exploiting the San Juan and Mancos basins.

“The Bureau of Land Management is not taking serious consideration of the sacredness of the greater Chaco region and the impacts on surrounding Diné communities as they continue to approve more drilling and fracking,” said Colleen Cooley with Dine Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment. Diné is the Navajo word for “the people.” The lawsuit argues that the San Juan Basin, which stretches into southern Colorado, encompasses dozens prehistoric Native American great houses connected by hundreds of miles of ancient ceremonial roads. The lawsuit filed Wednesday specifically challenges BLM’s approval of at least 130 drilling applications, citing violations of the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. [Susan Montoya Bryan, Santa Fe New Mexican]

A New Mexico worker just died in an oilfield incident while North Dakota's oil patch is shifting to a bust economy.