Earlier this month, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council decided to allow tribal members to vote on legalizing alcohol on the reservation. The Journal Star editorial board supports the vote in the belief that legalization could eliminate the shameful Whiteclay problem and begin to address the even more pressing issue of alcoholism on Pine Ridge.

The referendum already is controversial. Some tribal council members and activists argue that without continuing prohibition, alcohol use would spike and alcoholism escalate across Pine Ridge. Given the community’s well-documented struggles, it is difficult to see how legalization could worsen the problem.

The tribe’s initial plans, which will be attached to the referendum, would allow only the tribe to sell alcohol on the reservation, and it would use proceeds from those sales to fund treatment programs.