According to Reno Gazette Times, the Feds threaten to shut down Las Vegas High Times Cannabis Cup in a Feb. 16 letter to the Moapa Paiute Tribe.
One of the world’s largest marijuana festivals, which is expected to be held this week on tribal land outside of Las Vegas, has been facing a possible shutdown for the past two weeks, according to a letter sent by federal officials earlier this month. While the festival is all about weed, there may be one important item missing at the event: the green herb itself
The times reports that U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden, based in Las Vegas, sent a Feb. 16 letter to the Moapa Paiute Tribe reminding the tribe that the transport, possession, use and distribution of marijuana is illegal under federal law. The marijuana trade show and festival, planned for March 4 and 5, would be in violation of that law, according to the letter obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.
In the exclusive story, the RGT posts part of the letter from U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden in which he states:
“I am informed that the tribal council is moving forward with the planned marijuana event referred to as the 2017 High Times Cannabis Cup because it is under the impression that the so-called ‘Cole Memorandum’ and subsequent memoranda from the Department of Justice permit marijuana use, possession and distribution on tribal lands when the state law also permits it. Unfortunately, this is an incorrect interpretation of the Department’s position on this issue.”
Another memo, the Guidance Memorandum, indicates that tribal governments and U.S. attorneys should consult government-to-government as issues arise.
This type of rhetoric further exemplifies how Republicans are out of step when it comes to marijuana. TWB will update you as we learn more about how the Feds threaten to shut down the Las Vegas High Times Cannabis Cup.
