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Tribes Can Legalize Pot Justice Department Decides
Posted by CN Staff on December 11, 2014 at 19:37:52 PT
By Steven Nelson
Source: U.S. News & World Report
Washington, D.C. -- Four western U.S. states have decided to allow recreational marijuana sales, but legal pot may soon be within driving distance of many more Americans following a new Department of Justice decision.In a memo released Thursday, the department outlined new policies allowing American Indian tribes to grow and sell marijuana on reservation lands.
Possession of marijuana is a federal crime, but the department announced in August 2013 it would allow states to regulate recreational marijuana sales. The nation's first recreational pot stores opened in Colorado and Washington this year.Residents of Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia voted in November to also legalize marijuana, though Congress appears likely to block sales in the nation’s capital.The new federal policy will allow tribes interested in growing and selling marijuana to do so, if they maintain "robust and effective regulatory systems," John Walsh, the U.S. attorney for Colorado, told the Los Angeles Times.Tribes will need to avoid eight enforcement triggers that currently apply to state marijuana sales, including a prohibition on sales to minors and the diversion of marijuana to states where it remains illegal under local law.It’s unclear how many tribes will take advantage of the policy directive. Some tribes are well-known for using their special legal status to host casinos or sell untaxed cigarettes, but addiction and substance abuse are major concerns for some communities.There are 326 federally recognized American Indian reservations, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Many reservations are in states that don’t allow marijuana for medical or recreational use, such as Oklahoma, Utah and the Dakotas. Others are located near major East Coast cities and far from legal pot stores in the West. "The tribes have the sovereign right to set the code on their reservations," U.S. attorney for North Dakota Timothy Purdon, chairman of the Attorney General's Subcommittee on Native American Issues, told the Times.In a statement, the Department of Justice said U.S. attorneys will review tribal marijuana policies on a case-by-case basis and that prosecutors retain the right to enforce federal law."Each U.S. attorney will assess the threats and circumstances in his or her district, and consult closely with tribal partners and the Justice Department when significant issues or enforcement decisions arise in this area," the statement says. Kevin Sabet, a former presidential drug adviser and co-founder of the anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, says he’s concerned the new policy opens the door to pockets of legalization across the country.“A situation is quickly forming where people living in states who do not want legalization will in fact be living 10 minutes away from a marijuana store,” Sabet says. Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project, says tribal leaders “will have a tremendous opportunity to improve public health and safety, as well as benefit economically” by legalizing marijuana.“Regulating and taxing marijuana like alcohol would ensure the product is controlled, and it would bring significant revenue and new jobs to these communities,” Tvert says. “Studies have consistently found above-average rates of alcohol abuse and related problems among Native American communities, so it would be incredibly beneficial to provide adults with a safer recreational alternative."Source: U.S. News & World Report (US)Author:   Steven Nelson Published: December 11, 2014Copyright: 2014 U.S. News & World ReportWebsite: http://www.usnews.com/Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/gfkqitBTURL: http://drugsense.org/url/swDWeWjnCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on December 14, 2014 at 05:12:38 PT
Canis420 
Thank you. I looked and didn't find any in Ohio either.
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Comment #6 posted by Vincent on December 13, 2014 at 06:58:31 PT:
Kevin Sabet
Oh, why doesn't that prohibitionist lowlife, Kevin Sabet, shut his big, stupid mouth, already? He has lost, why doesn't he wake up?
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Comment #5 posted by keninsj on December 12, 2014 at 23:17:24 PT:
10 Minutes away.
There are probably a bunch of people thinking that they may live 10 minutes away from this idiot, and don't want to.
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Comment #4 posted by Canis420 on December 12, 2014 at 21:52:52 PT:
FoM
Currently there are no federally-recognized reservations in Ohio. 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on December 12, 2014 at 04:48:56 PT
The GCW
I wondered that myself. I don't know if we have an Indian Reservation in my state.
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on December 11, 2014 at 21:00:50 PT
2 thoughts.
Huge news. Very good. Yes, pockets of legalization across America means potential legalization in most states which don't even have the amendment process available to them.Which states have Native American reservations? Is it easier to list states which don't?-0-Ignoid: “A situation is quickly forming where people living in states who do not want legalization..."Perhaps We could conduct an election in the other 46 states in 2016 and see how many are honestly "states who do not want legalization."There are numerous states that would love the opportunity to legalize, who don't have it! The ignoid is speaking states who may not wish to be part of the undesirable ignoid crowd.
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Comment #1 posted by observer on December 11, 2014 at 20:47:54 PT
Sabet's Business Model: Sell Fear
“A situation is quickly forming where people living in states who do not want legalization will in fact be living 10 minutes away from a marijuana store,” Sabet says.Oh my lord! A situation exists where people living in relationships who do not want adultery will in fact be living 10 minutes away from adulterers.A situation exists where people who do not drag-race will in fact be living 10 minutes away from a drag-race track.A situation exists where people who are not members of the Happy River Unify-Vacation Church will in fact be living 10 minutes away from people who are members.A situation exists where people who are not of my ethnic clan will in fact be living 10 minutes away from people who are of my clan.A situation exists where people who do not share my proclivities will in fact be living 10 minutes away from people who do.Etc.
http://drugnewsbot.org
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