MILWAUKEE — The U.S. Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration say a lawsuit from the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin seeking the right to grow an industrial crop related to marijuana should be dismissed.
The motion, filed Tuesday, comes in a case that began after 30,000 hemp plants were seized last year in a raid on tribal land.
It also highlights national uncertainty over federal and state conflicts over laws governing marijuana and its cousin hemp. Several tribes across the U.S. have pursued or considered marijuana and hemp projects, but tribes in states where the crops remain illegal, such as Wisconsin, have faced challenges.
The Menominee have said they have the right to grow industrial hemp under the 2014 Farm Bill, which allows states and colleges to do so, provided it complies with state law.
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