A majority of tribes in the lower 48 states allow some form of alcohol on their reservations, The Omaha World-Herald reports.
According to a study from the Oregon Health and Science University, only 29.2 percent of tribes allowed alcohol in 1975. By 2006, the number more than doubled to 63.5 percent,
the study said.
In most cases, however, alcohol wasn't allowed beyond gaming establishments and related entities.
Three tribes in Nebraska, for example, only permit liquor at their casinos.
In neighboring South Dakota, the
Oglala Sioux Tribe is debating whether to legalize alcohol.
Tribal members who want to drink usually just walk across the border to Whiteclay, Nebraska.
“If we could have beer in our own homes, we would have a good time like normal Americans," one Whiteclay patron, Dan “The Man” Garnier, told the paper.
A date for the referendum hasn't been scheduled.
Get the Story:
Treks from 'dry' reservation to Whiteclay could end
(The Omaha World-Herald 7/14)
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