Tribes Can Legalize Pot, Justice Department Decides

[n2doc]

Source: US News & World Report

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.

Read more: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/12/11/tribes-can-legalize-pot-justice-department-decides

[TygrBright]

1. This is a real game-changer.

The stupidest, costliest front in the War on Drugs was just (essentially) abandoned in a highly creative end run.

Wow.

admiringly,
Bright

[jwirr]

2. Yes, but as the grandmother and great grandmother of Native Americans I am not sure how I feel.

I do not think this is going to make friends and influence enemies of the people on the reservations. Then again I do not know. At least they will not be arrested anymore and serve prison sentences for mj. And that is good. We will see.

May encourage those states with reservations to legalize.

[TygrBright]

4. It will not be without damage, certainly.

And knowing our fellow-citizens I confidently expect us to find and exploit every avenue for damage, excess, and stupidity to the utmost.

Nevertheless, it takes the highest-level damage off the table, and reaffirms sovereignty.

A good start.

judiciously,
Bright

[DonCoquixote]

5. The big danger

Will not be from the Tribes themselves, but the army of scumbag lawyers and rich investors that will seek to swoop in like half-starved Vultures. The template for exploiting Indian businesses and making sure that most of the money went to Whites was set by gambling as folks like Jack Abramoff can tell you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Abramoff_Indian_lobbying_scandal'

I do hope this works out for the First nations, but I would hope they already have defenses against the Vultures that will gladly come to steal from them again. Sadly,I will also bet that whatever is set up will be just another resort where rich suburban types go to get their "spiritual retreat", feasting on Gourmet brands of Cannabis the same way they would 10 dollar a cup Coffee, while the Michael Browns of the world still get beat up by cops over a dime-bag of Grade F weed.

[jwirr]

7. That is one of the things I fear. Here in MN the tribe runs its own casinos so is not as subject to

the abuses as were western and east coast ones. Hopefully the tribal leaders will act immediately to protect the people.

Up until now the smokers I know about have gotten their weed from white dealers but now that may switch and that could be very dangerous.

[DonCoquixote]

9. not as likely

"Up until now the smokers I know about have gotten their weed from white dealers but now that may switch and that could be very dangerous."

I am very sure that the resorts will be careful to put Red faces in suits, so that it looks like they are in control,but not. The real danger comes in when these companies start enjoying the chance to get their mitts into yet another drug targeted to suburban Yuppies. You think they will let the local shaman mix the medicine, nope, the same people that brought you Oxycontin and tobacco leaves genetically altered to have extra nicotine will now get their hands on Cannabis, just in time for when the weed finally does become legal, then they will already have their plans done to exploit it.

I can see it now, a bunch of Real Housewives of some reality show over a hookah of some designer brand of Cannabis at a resort, all with a few First nation people dressed up to dance and do a cute Disney show.

[jwirr]

12. At the moment the drug of choice around here is pain releavers and meth. The tribe is doing every

thing it can to stop this use and selling. They are even kicking dealers off the res. One thing that mj is used for is to help both alcoholics and hard drug addicts stop using what they are currently hooked on. I have watched this happening.

I have too much invested here and it is very hard for me to look at the tribe and see how they will answer this.

By the way I do not think our so called "Red suits" are just covers in NE MN. As far as I know all board members and those who run the casino are band members and no one who is white could stay in leadership positions because the tribe has a preference for hiring members first. I have actually seen qualified whites get pushed out because a member needed a job. The one thing that you may think of as running the organization is that our people often travel to Nevada to go to school about some aspect of gaming just like other industries often go to school for new things.

By the way I do know what you are talking about. I realize that some tribes in the west do not even have a controlling interest in the casinos that were opened using their name. In those casinos you are absolutely correct. I think the difference was because we were one of the first tribes to open a casino - while the ones out west came way later in the game and used much different rules. For instance all of our casinos are either on res land owned by us for many years. Later tribes were encouraged to open casinos on land that was not even close to their reservation.

[jwirr]

14. Parts of our tribes already live in resort areas but as for ours we do not live where a resort is

going to get much traffic. The beautiful areas around us are much further north. One lake that has white houses all around it and some woods. Nothing to see.

[Strelnikov_]

31. Hugh!!!

Couldn't resist.

Yes, it really is.

[KamaAina]

3. At last, a source of income for tribal nations that doesn't involve gambling!

[Major Nikon]

8. They have other revenue streams

Although most of them involve other vices like liquor and tobacco. Even though the casino complex is the main draw, my tribe recently built a huge event center that attracts big name concerts, which isn't bad for a rural area. Both my wife and I hate to gamble, but we occassionally fly to Durant, OK for a concert and stay overnight at the resort. We don't even need a car because they pick up and drop off at the airport.

http://www.choctawcasinos.com/choctaw-durant/entertainment/upcoming-events.htm

[SpankMe]

6. We used to go to nearby Indian reservations to buy fireworks.

They are illegal everywhere where I live, but the tribes could sell them openly owing to their sovereignty. And they sold good ones, and not just snakes, sparklers and puny base fountains. We'd buy them, hide them in the trunk and light them off when and where we weren't at risk of getting caught.

The legal distinction between fireworks and MJ that I see here is that fireworks bans were city and county rules, whereas MJ is a federal prohibition. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, and what would happen in general of a Republican president with his AG of choice gets in there.

I wouldn't out it past Republicans to try to put the genie back in the bottle. Because they're fuckers.

[nichomachus]

10. This is going to be really, really interesting around here

Half of Palm Springs is reservation. And it's not like one one-half chunk reservation and another chunk not. It's laid out exactly like a checkerboard. The dark squares -- one square mile -- are Indian and the light squares are not. Many non-tribal members live on tribal land and many businesses are on it too. They pay a lease fee to the tribe member who owns that land.

I wonder how the cops would control that. I'm not sure they even know which is which without a map in their hands.

[progressoid]

11. Wow, that will be interesting.

I didn't know about that situation.

[jwirr]

13. Our res is very much like that also. They have been using casino profits to buy back the lands.

[nichomachus]

15. Our situation is a little different

Most of the reservation land is owned by individual tribe members and not the tribe.

[jwirr]

17. I know about that situation. Long ago the tribe here went to court to stop that practice since those

who were exploiting the natives were using unreasonable means to get them to sell for little or nothing. This way works to stop that.

I visited in Lame Deer MT and heard about how individuals were selling out there to the coal barons. One family at a time. Very sad.

[nichomachus]

18. That's not happening here

Or is very rare. The Indians who own land downtown make a lot of money off the leases. In the condo complex where I used to live, there were 300 units. We each paid $110 a month to the same guy. So, $30,000+ a month income for him -- and we had to pay taxes on the land.

Most of the reservation land contains high-end homes or commercial establishments -- hotels, resorts, etc. The tribe here, as a whole, is pretty well-off. They give millions to charity every year.

If tribe members do sell land, they're not being ripped off. They fully know the value of the land.

[jwirr]

20. That is a very different situation. Most of the land here is forests and native homes that they live

in. We do not have a population like that even counting the whites. Back when this land was being ripped off there was very little education for native children or adults. They did not know what was happening. I think that was the point of the court case.

[musiclawyer]

23. The cops can't control it.

It really doesn't matter anyway. CA will be cannabis legal in Nov 2016. What this does is give the tribes a head start in establishing a vertically integrated business model..... if they choose to seize the opportunity. I'd be doing that if I was them, especially those near big metro areas like this one I question..... As one guy in the business in Philly said recently, paraphrasing " it will be a free for all. ... The businesses that have high quality control or stand out in some way, organic, specialty edible etc will be the ones that thrive and make serious coin "

[hollowdweller]

16. Karma. Whites used fire water to separate Native Americans from their land.

Now the Native Americans will use weed to get some of it back!

[jwirr]

19. I hope so.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

21. The tribes aren't even part of this country,...according to a bit of legal fiction....

They are a separate nation with their own laws and legal system so why would they be subjected to the laws of the federal government?

[PoliticAverse]

26. Not exactly the Federal Government classifies them as "domestic dependent nations". n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

33. So,....just like the Confederacy.

[trof]

22. I see...Pot Lounges.

I'm guessing that in many jurisdictions the pot must be consumed on tribal lands lest you run afoul of state and federal law.

I see a boom in motels with pot lounges on tribal lands.

[nichomachus]

24. The local tribe is building a new hotel and spa

It's right in the middle of downtown Palm Springs -- less than a block from the Hard Rock Hotel. They're in the process of tearing down the old one and said they would have plans for the new one by next Summer.

I'm guessing they're on the phone to the architect, as we speak, to double the number of rooms and include pot lounges. They already have hot springs at the spa. So that, combined with the pot lounges and the casino across the street.... Holy Cow!

[trof]

27. And a free Munchies Bar!

Oh baby!

[nichomachus]

28. Free? You don't know the tribe. Ain't no free. N/t

[bklyncowgirl]

35. Pot lounges AND casinos, wow!

Sounds like a good way to be separated from your money--legally of course.

[trof]

38. That's what it's all about.

[madokie]

25. this is awesome

My wife is a card carrying native American even though she doesn't smoke pot maybe she would if she legally could.

[packman]

29. Happy hunting grounds

gives a whole new meaning to passing around the peace pipe. I want my spirit guide to be a cat.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

34. Watch what you wish for....

[Baclava]

30. I'm gettin' that swamp fever - - - feelin' that Seminole wind

Floating weed casinos in the swamps?

woo-hoo!

[niyad]

32. maybe this should be pointed out to that nimrod who called native americans "wards

of the state"-- goosestep, gasbag, gas-something-or-other is the cretin's name.

[Bandit]

36. Tax Free as well I hope so should be a lot cheaper than in States where it is legal.

Alaska has set a fifty dollar an ounce tax and I believe it was based on Washington and/or Colorado.

[WheelWalker]

37. I didn't see this coming