Indian Reservations: Get Stoned & Gamble?

According to the Associated Press:

“GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Indian tribes can grow and sell marijuana on their lands as long as they follow the same federal conditions laid out for states that have legalized the drug, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday.”

According to the article, It remains to be seen how many reservations will take advantage of the policy. Many tribes oppose legalizing pot on their lands.

The Washington Post asks: , “For decades, Native American reservations have been havens for the gambling industry in states with anti-casino legislatures. Can we count Big Pot in too?The Justice Department said … it will no longer prosecute federal laws regulating the growing or selling of marijuana on reservations, even when state law bans the drug.”

The Los Angeles Times followed up,  noting that, “Some tribes see marijuana sales as a potential source of revenue, similar to cigarette sales and casino gambling, which have brought a financial boon to reservations across the country….The federal government will continue to legally support those tribes that wish to ban marijuana, even in states that now permit its sale … But the Justice Department will generally not attempt to enforce federal marijuana laws on federally recognized tribes that choose to allow it, as long as they meet eight federal guidelines, including that marijuana not be sold to minors and not be transported to areas that prohibit it.”