U.S. won't stop Native Americans from growing, selling pot on their lands

[kpete]

Opening the door for what could be a lucrative and controversial new industry on some Native American reservations, the Justice Department on Thursday will tell U.S. attorneys to not prevent tribes from growing or selling marijuana on the sovereign lands, even in states that ban the practice.

The new guidance, released in a memorandum, will be implemented on a case-by-case basis and tribes must still follow federal guidelines, said Timothy Purdon, the U.S. attorney for North Dakota and the chairman of the Attorney General's Subcommittee on Native American Issues.

It once again sends a message that we really don't care about federal drug laws.
- Kevin A. Sabet, an opponent of marijuana legalization and former advisor on drug issues to President Obama
It remains to be seen how many reservations will take advantage of the policy. Many tribes are opposed to legalizing pot on their lands, and federal officials will continue to enforce the law in those areas, if requested.

Southern California is home to nearly 30 federal- and state-recognized Indian tribes, with a total population of nearly 200,000, according to state estimates. The largest tribes operate profitable casinos and outlet malls, including those by the Morongo, Cabazon, San Manuel and Pechanga tribes.



MORE:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-marijuana-indians-20141211-story.html

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Good.

Hope to see tribal businesses well-established before Big Pharma gets in the door and tries to push smaller growers out of business.

[tridim]

4. Except these tribes are not planning to be "smaller growers".

IMO it isn't fair that they are given a legal head start.

When do the passionate, skilled growers get to set up their gardens and grow their Cannabis legally?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. If they're in Colorado they already have, no?

Is it fair that Colorado has a 'legal head start'?

Either go somewhere where it's legal if you want to grow legally now, or push your state to make it legal and wait til it is.

[tridim]

6. The citizens of Colorado voted for legalization.

Of course it's fair. That's how democracy works.

I'd love to be able to just declare cannabis legal in my city, but unfortunately I can't invoke a "tribe" and I have no lobbying power.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

7. It's a little matter of 'sovreignty'.

Not just 'invoking a tribe'. An acknowledgement that they get a few scraps of whatever we throw their way because we stole their entire country and shoved them into tiny little parts of it.

If we had 'fair', we'd hand over every scrap of 'Federal' land to the tribes, and give them a hell of a lot of money on top to pay for all of the land we're keeping.

You're right it isn't 'fair'. It isn't fair to Native Americans that all they're getting is a few things like the right to grow pot on rezes.

[tridim]

8. This isn't about the people or their land...

It's about corporatization of tribal lands by people who only care about money, and lots of it.

Corporate greed is destroying these people.

[RobinA]

2. This Strikes Me

as huge. The article mentions sale and growing, but is use included? My yearly pilgrimage to the rez.

[CBGLuthier]

3. An interesting case of media slant, my local pathetic excuse of a newspaper says the opposite

Coats, who serves on the U.S. attorney general’s advisory subcommittee on American Indian issues, said he doesn't believe the door is wide open for tribal marijuana sales.

Coats said he believes any decision not to enforce federal marijuana laws on Indian lands would be limited to states that have voted to liberalize marijuana laws.


The funny thing about this is it is Oklahoma. There is one hell of a lot of tribal land in Oklahoma.

I include a link for fairness but it is a garbage newspaper so not worth clicking

http://newsok.com/no-pot-sales-for-oklahoma-tribes-official-says/article/5375189

[Eleanors38]

9. DEA has a history of raiding & destroying NA...

hemp-growing farms. They would wait until just before harvest before destroying a crop meant for textiles and non-recreation uses. Nice guys.