CannaNative CEO Named Keynote Opening Speaker at Southern California Cannabis Conference and Expo

CEO Anthony Rivera to Announce First-Ever Native Group to Sell Legal Hemp CBD Cannabis Products as Opening Expo Speaker

San Diego, CA – Aug. 5, 2016 – CannaNative, LLC (“CannaNative”) – the premiere Native American-owned and operated company created to assist more than 560 U.S. tribal nations utilize the cannabis industry to gain true sovereignty – announced today that the Company’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Rivera was chosen as the keynote opening speaker at the Southern California Cannabis Conference and Expo (SocalCCExpo) at the San Diego Convention Center.

On Saturday, Aug. 6 at 9:15 a.m., Mr. Rivera will kick-off the SocalCCExpo with an overview of CannaNative™ and how it’s helping tribes across the U.S. develop hemp and cannabis-based economies to protect their sovereignty. Mr. Rivera will also announce the first-ever launch of a Native American cannabis product line to the Indian Country market, including a partnership with Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA) and its subsidiary HempMeds® to develop the cannabis-based products, which are set to be distributed to tribal wellness centers on reservations, native doctor’s offices and pharmacies, and dispensaries.

In addition to Anthony Rivera, CannaNative™ is run by co-founders Cedric Black Eagle, a former chairman of the Crow Tribe of Montana, and Andy Nakai, a member of the Navajo Nation who also serves as vice chairman of the board for the Navajo Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI.)

“I’m honored to have been chosen as the keynote speaker for this premiere cannabis event,” said Rivera, a Harvard Business school graduate who led the 1,940 members of the Acjachemen Nation in Southern California for nearly a decade. “For Indian reservations, cannabis represents an opportunity to achieve complete sovereignty, which means complete self-sustainability for our tribes. At CannaNative™, we believe that every tribe should have the opportunity to establish and grow a responsible, cannabis-based economy to sustain all future generations. We are excited to utilize the Expo as a platform to announce our cannabis product line that will help us achieve this goal.”

Hemp has a robust history with Native Americans, dating back to 17th Century America when farmers in Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut were ordered by law to grow “Indian hemp.” In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice opened the door for tribes to legalize marijuana for medicinal, agricultural and recreational use the same way individual states can. Today, CannaNative™ believes that full restoration of cannabis cultivation and developing a cannabis-based economy is an inherent right of all 566 tribes located throughout the U.S.

In Nov. 2015, CannaNative™ entered into a strategic partnership with America’s first Indian-focused marijuana trade organization the National Indian Cannabis Coalition (NICC), which was formed after the U.S. Department of Justice granted tribes the ability to legalize and regulate on-reservation marijuana with the 2014 Wilkinson memo. However, uncertainty still pervades the industry, with federal and state authorities raiding and shutting down marijuana operations on three different reservations in California.

Together, CannaNative™  and the NICC are actively educating tribal leaders on the emerging regulated cannabis markets from an entrepreneurial and operations perspective to help them develop successful cannabis-based economies within their sovereign nations and to prevent disruptive and costly incidents such as crop destruction.

CannaNative™ is also at the forefront of providing solutions for the U.S.-based cannabis industry’s lack of banking alternatives. Lack of banking in a cash-and-carry industry is creating a public safety issue, which CannaNative™ is addressing by modeling the highly regulated and successful cash-based gaming industry by Native American tribes to provide banking solutions for the U.S. cannabis industry.   

CannaNative™ was formed to spearhead the restoration of cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and distribution of products for health and wellness initiatives, medical research, banking and more.

For more information on CannaNative™, visit the Company’s website at www.CannaNative.com.

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About CannaNative LLC.

CannaNative™ goal is to help tribes to develop hemp and cannabis-based economies on Native American lands throughout the United States.  We believe that every tribe should have the opportunity to establish and grow a responsible, cannabis-based economy to sustain all future generations. For more information on CannaNative, visit the Company’s website at www.CannaNative.com.

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) DISCLOSURE These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

LEGAL DISCLOSURE
Medical Marijuana Inc. does not sell or distribute any products that are in violation of the United States Controlled Substances Act (US.CSA). These companies do grow, sell, and distribute hemp-based products and are involved with the federally legal distribution of medical marijuana-based products within certain international markets. Cannabidiol is a natural constituent of hemp oil.

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