Cannabis has become one of the most significant emerging economic opportunities for Native American tribes, with cultivation, processing and retail operations expanding rapidly across tribal nations. Tribal governments are exercising sovereignty to regulate cannabis within their jurisdictions, creating new revenue streams, employment opportunities and long‑term economic development.
However, while tribal cannabis operations continue to grow, insurance solutions have struggled to keep pace.
Many brokers serving tribal clients are encountering a familiar challenge: a tribal enterprise is operating legally and is properly licensed, yet traditional insurance markets—and even many tribal programs—are unable to offer coverage. This has created a persistent and frustrating coverage gap for both brokers and tribal leadership.
Why Tribal cannabis risk is so difficult to place
Despite widespread legalization at the state and tribal levels, cannabis remains federally classified as a Schedule I substance. As a result, many standard property and casualty carriers either explicitly exclude cannabis or avoid it entirely. Within the tribal space, this issue is further complicated by jurisdictional considerations, sovereign immunity and the need for underwriting expertise that understands both tribal governance and tribal cannabis operations.
For brokers, this often leads to:
- Declinations from otherwise reliable tribal markets
- Existing tribal insureds becoming partially ineligible after expanding into cannabis
- Difficulty retaining accounts when cannabis exposures are introduced
Until recently, the answer for many brokers was simply that cannabis could not be placed within a tribal program.
A collaborative solution: Arrowhead Tribal + Cannasure
To address this gap, Arrowhead Tribal is working with Cannasure, a cannabis-exclusive Managing General Agent (MGA) built specifically to insure cannabis operations.
Founded in 2010, Cannasure provides comprehensive property and casualty coverage for licensed cannabis, hemp and CBD operators nationwide. Their underwriting expertise, risk management innovation and proven claims-paying record make them a leading specialist in cannabis insurance.
According to Cameron Fan, director of Arrowhead Tribal Non-Profit and Tribal underwriting lead, “Cannasure and our Tribal Program are building affordable, culturally aligned insurance solutions that strengthen tribal sovereignty while safeguarding Native communities from catastrophic loss across the cannabis economy.”This collaboration creates a viable insurance pathway for qualified tribal cannabis risks—something that has been largely unavailable in the traditional market. It supports brokers working with Native American tribes that are legally involved in cannabis cultivation, processing, distribution or retail. When an operation meets underwriting guidelines, coverage can be placed within a tribal program structure, rather than forcing the risk outside the tribal insurance ecosystem entirely.
This collaboration brings together two critical areas of expertise:
- Arrowhead Tribal’s understanding of tribal enterprises and sovereign considerations
- Cannasure’s deep experience underwriting cannabis‑specific risk
What this collaboration offers brokers
The Cannasure product, offered through the Arrowhead Tribal program, is built around the realities of cannabis risk. Unlike standard carriers that view cannabis as an unsupported exception, Cannasure treats it as a core underwriting focus.
For qualifying tribal risks, coverage considerations may include:
- Property coverage for cannabis facilities
- General liability and premises liability
- Product liability for cannabis‑related products
- Excess liability
- Commercial auto, workers’ compensation and cyber, where applicable
These coverages are structured to address exposures that are common in cannabis operations, including high‑value inventory, regulatory oversight, enhanced security requirements and operational hazards that many traditional markets are unwilling to assume.
Underwriting discipline is central to the program
It is important to note that this collaboration is not intended to write every cannabis risk. The strength and sustainability of the Arrowhead Tribal and Cannasure relationship is grounded in disciplined underwriting and clear eligibility guidelines.
Key underwriting considerations include:
- Proper licensing and regulatory compliance
- Risk management controls such as security systems and fire protection
- Careful evaluation of extraction activities
- Alignment with Cannasure underwriting standards
If a tribal cannabis operation meets the guidelines, coverage can be carefully underwritten and considered for placement. This disciplined approach helps protect the long‑term stability of the program and ensures responsible participation in the cannabis marketplace.
Why coverage for cannabis risk is so essential in the tribal space
For brokers serving Native American tribes, the Arrowhead Tribal and Cannasure collaboration fills a long‑standing gap in the insurance market.
Instead of delivering a declination or losing an account, brokers can now:
- Retain tribal clients that expand into cannabis operations
- Offer a credible, specialized insurance solution
- Demonstrate informed risk advisory value to tribal leadership
Most importantly, cannabis no longer has to be an automatic deal‑breaker within a tribal portfolio.
A clear path forward for Tribal cannabis accounts
If you have a Native American tribal business involved in cannabis operations, and the risk meets underwriting guidelines, Arrowhead Tribal—through its collaboration with Cannasure—can help underwrite and evaluate an alternative solution.
As cannabis continues to expand across tribal nations this collaboration provides brokers with something the market has been missing: a practical, knowledgeable solution at the intersection of tribal insurance and cannabis risk.
For more information contact Melissa Claypool at mclaypool@arrowheadgrp.com or (303) 834-4513.