Signs advocating for and against the repeal of Title 34 on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in northern California. Photo courtesy Vic Orcutt
The Hoopa Valley Tribe of California won't be growing marijuana anytime soon. Tribal members rejected a referendum to repeal Title 34 on Tuesday. Some 63 percent of voters supported keeping the ban on marijuana cultivation in place, according to unofficial results posted by The Two Rivers Tribune. The outcome likely means the issue won't be discussed again for quite some time. Even though former chairman Clifford Lyle Marshall supported the repeal, tribal youth and tribal officials were against it. "Most families are affected by drug use in some way," tribal youth said in a press release today. "Legalizing marijuana would have thrown gasoline on the existing drug problem in our community." "We need good leadership that is professional and has the foresight to provide jobs," the youth continued. "We need to be striving for a membership that is clean and employable. Mortgaging our youngest tribal memberships future and borrowing from their resources was not a great economic plan. The youth are looking to the future of their community to protect the resources and land." In other results, Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten came in third in the primary so she was effectively ousted. The top two candidates -- Ryan P. Jackson and George Byron Nelson Jr. -- will face each other in the general election in June. Get the Story:
Hoopa Valley Shoots Down Marijuana Decriminalization Initiative (The Lost Coast Outpost 4/29)
Hoopa Tribe Just Says No (The North Coast Journal 4/29)
Hoopa Valley Tribal Elections held Tuesday (KRCR 4/28) Relevant Documents:
Department of Justice Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)
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