A cannabis plant. Photo from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikipedia
North Dakota newspaper doesn't think the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota should move forward with legal marijuana:
The Santee tribe has a reputation for trailblazing. It was where South Dakota's first tribal casino was built, and that casino has done a bang-up business since it opened more than 25 years ago. Now, tribal casinos are the norm in South Dakota, although not all are models of business proficiency. Sure, casinos have created a revenue source for many American Indian tribes, but they also have, at times, bred corruption and other issues in places that can little afford more strife and turmoil. A 2012 University of Maryland study showed there is a 10 percent increase in substance abuse, suicide, violent crime, theft and bankruptcy when a new casino opens in town. What does all of this have to do with reservations putting up an "open for business" sign around verdant fields of marijuana? Plenty, since some tribes greatly struggled with vices, and especially corruption, booze and gambling. So consider what could happen by adding marijuana to the mix of a reservation's potential evils. A 2014 study by Lancet Psychiatry, a British journal of health research, showed teens who smoke marijuana daily are more than 60 percent less likely to complete high school than those who never use. They're also 60 percent less likely to graduate from college and seven times more likely to attempt suicide. What are some of the most notable social troubles that exist on reservations? Poor educational results and suicide.Get the Story:
OUR OPINION: Legalizing marijuana on reservations not viable solution (The Grand Forks Herald 6/20) Also Today:
South Dakota tribe aims for recreational marijuana use, operation on its reservation (Forum News Service 6/19) Relevant Documents:
Department of Justice Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)
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