Casino gaming has turned out to be a good source of income for hundreds of tribes in the United State. Some tribes may be about to embark on another potential moneymaker of high interest: growing medical marijuana.
So many states are decriminalizing or even making legal the weed that was once the focus of the U.S. War on Drugs and the U.S. Justice Department recently advised some tribes that they could legally enter the field since they are sovereign nations. With some caveats.
The first tribe to do so may be the Pinoleville Pomo Nation of Northern California, although as many as 100 other tribes are seriously exploring that option. The Pomos will break ground soon on a $10 million 100,000 square foot greenhouse, according to Indian Country Today.
The Pomos have struck a deal with United Cannabis, a Colorado-based consulting and production company.
California, as it often is, will be the epicenter of this new gold rush because 500,000 medical marijuana patients are register there, more than half of those in the U.S. This fact goes hand in glove with the fact that the Golden State has more than 100 Indian tribes, which is also why the state has so many Indian casinos.
Despite the hands off attitude of the federal government, pot remains illegal in 27 states. So while it is relatively safe for tribes to grow and sell marijuana in California or Colorado, marketing to customers in states where it remains illegal could be problematic and possibly lead to tribal members being arrested and jailed.
Anthony Broadman, a Washington-based attorney who specializes in Indian law, told Indian Country Today, “The DOJ memo was not a blank check to just got out and start growing weed. If anything, regulation is going to be more robust on tribal lands.”
