A cannabis plant. Photo from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikipedia
The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota has legalized marijuana for commercial, recreational and medical use. The tribe will open a facility to grow marijuana, according to news reports. People will be able to come to the reservation to buy the drug and consume it at a dedicated place. "The positives are revenue, money and economic development," President Tony Reider told KSFY. "We're talking millions of dollars. It is a great revenue producing machine and opportunity," Residents of the reservation will not be able to grow marijuana or consume it at their homes, attorney Seth Pearman told KELO. Recreational use will be limited to adults over the age of 21 but medicinal use is open to minors with parental consent and approval from a doctor. The tribe is the first in South Dakota to legalize the drug and adopt a comprehensive policy to address its sale and use. Elsewhere in the state, drug laws remain extremely strict. The Oglala Sioux Tribe legalized hemp, a relative of marijuana that lacks the same drug-inducing characteristics, for industrial use. Federal authorities refuse to recognize the difference and have barred Alex White Plume, a former president and former vice president of the tribe, from growing the plant. The Department of Justice has opened the door for tribes to legalize marijuana but government attorneys are refusing to agree to a court order that would allow White Plume to resume cultivation of his crops. Get the Story:
Marijuana on South Dakota Reservation: What you need to know (KSFY 6/15)
South Dakota Indian Reservation Legalizes Marijuana (KELO 6/15)
Dakotas tribal leaders marketing marijuana as economic opportunity on American Indian land (AP 6/15)
Oglala tribal member says he should be allowed to grow hemp (AP 6/13) Relevant Documents:
Department of Justice Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)
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