One of the biggest marijuana reform events since I’ve been running this blog was when the Obama Administration issued a memo late last year that said if Native American tribes want to legalize marijuana cultivation cultivation and sales on tribal lands, the feds wouldn’t stand in the way. Some thought that it would open the flood gates almost overnight for tribes entering the marijuana industry, but that hasn’t proven to be the case. However, there are numerous tribes all over the United States that are exploring the idea, with a few tribes taking the leap.
In Maine there are three tribes that are looking into the new industry. Per Marijuana Business Daily:
Three Maine American Indian tribes are considering growing and selling marijuana on their lands, part of a growing number of tribes considering cannabis as a revenue source.
The Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and Micmacs tribes are considering the economic benefits of legalizing marijuana on native lands, while the state’s fourth recognized tribe, the Penobscot Nation, has said it will not pursue legalization, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in December it would allow Native American tribes to legalize marijuana on their lands as long as they followed guidelines to which states are required to adhere.
I have been watching the tribal marijuana situation very closely, because it has the potential to alter the landscape of the marijuana industry in many ways. Some people fear that Native American tribes entering the marijuana industry will doom businesses off of tribal lands. I am not one of those people. I am rooting for tribes to get into the industry, and to thrive. Native American tribes can bring marijuana legalization to parts of the country that have been considered off limits to marijuana reform. Native Americans deserve to enter the marijuana industry, and anyone who says otherwise are just trying to protect their own pockets.
