Obama administration to allow Native American tribes to grow and sell marijuana

Yahoo ^ | Dec 11, 2014 | German Lopez

[kingu]

There's been a small batch of Lakota who have been trying to get permission to farm and harvest industrial hemp; when hemp (everything) was the craze a few years ago, it was likely a rather lucrative cash crop, especially since almost all industrial hemp is harvested and processed overseas, whereas they had the concept for an ‘organic’ hemp harvested and processed domestically (with likely enough overhead to make it actually profitable to do here.)

I'm guessing that this is the merging of a couple different demands - for tribes who ban drugs on reservation to override state law on the reservation, and the hemp harvesting, as well as the ever present Apache/Araphao/Navajo peyote cultivation requests.

Since actions on the reservation wouldn't transfer into the state where it is located, there wouldn't be the ‘pot stores’ like the cigarette stores that popped up, but it wouldn't surprise me if someone somewhere decided to open a pot lounge on reservation.

[Vinylly]

Well, why not? Obummer is a pothead himself, I sure he would like pot to be more plentiful.

[Michael.SF.]

Let's see: Gambling, drugs, cheap booze and cigarettes.

Will whore houses be next?

That's part of what took Lewis and Clark so damned long.

[gaijin]

Indians could make a killing providing streamlined licensure for siting and operation of nuclear power plants on their reservations.

It’s over 20 years, I believe, if you do it on PaleFace land.

[ifinnegan]

Obama and the left want as many people as possible to smoke dope.

It is in their interest.

[Iron Munro]

Something tells me that The Great Choomer himself will be visiting selected Indian Reservations.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Right now the meth maker are overrunning the Cherokee reservation areas right now. Can they make more growing weed?

[Ken H]

So why were drugs completely legal in the US from Colonial times until the big government Progressive Era?

[RightGeek]

[bunkerhill7]

Does this include the Washington Redskins, too?

[SoFloFreeper]

Because what the Indian community needs is another addiction.

Obama hates America.

[SaxxonWoods]

You bet they do, and they aren’t the only tribe doing that.

The price of a broken man is rarely high.

[SaxxonWoods]

Yes, correct. I was just visiting the Navajo Nation. American Indians are very interesting people, with a knowledge set very different from a white guy like me.

I love having conversations with them.

[SaxxonWoods]

Indians live on large rural reservations. They’ve been growing and smoking pot for decades. Tribal members on the border have been helping the smugglers for 50 years. Guess how the smugglers pay them. Nothing will change on the reservation, it’s all been going on there for generations.

Meth is the newer kid on the reservation block. It burns you right out, and it doesn’t take too long. It’s been there for years but it’s spreading.

[Ken H]

Because what the Indian community needs is another addiction. Obama hates America.

So you would have fedgov making the rules rather than local government?

[mylife]

Glad your eyes are open to reality.

[ConservingFreedom]

So why were drugs completely legal in the US from Colonial times until the big government Progressive Era?

Back then they had quaint notions about "limited government" and "individual responsibility" - nowadays we know better.

[1010RD]

Well gambling didn’t help, so I doubt drugs will help either. How about getting Indians off the reservations and into the 21st century? Tribalism is so Stone Age.

[Bill93]

“Then why are U.S. taxpayer dollars being used to maintain them? “

Treaty obligations, the federal government has treaties with every recognised tribe (and each treaty is different) One thing all thet treaties have in common is that the Federal Government is required to do certain things based on the stipulations of the treaty.

That said, as an Indian, I really hope the tribes don’t get into the marajuana business. I know one tribe was fighting the federal government by growing industrial hemp as a form of protest (The THC content was supposed to be practically nil) on their reservation during the Bush years and the feds repeatedly came and burned it whenever it was near time to harvest. Supposedly, hemp is the only crop that would grow on their reservation and nobody can afford the 2000 dollar an acre fee the DEA charges to grow even industrial hemp. I hope this is all this decision will lead to, simply growing industrial hemp out on the badlands, but honesly, I highly doubt that’s the case.

[SoFloFreeper]

Obama administration will direct attorneys to not prevent Native American tribes on reservations from growing and selling marijuana even in states where pot is illegal,,,,

Sounds like Obama is trying to subvert the states.

Frankly, nothing I see Team BO do is worthy of my trust. Refuses to enforce border law. Refuses to enforce DOMA. Refuses to respect state definitions (read: accurate) of marriage. Refuses to follow the SCOTUS on affirmative action/racial quotas in universities. Refuses to turn over court ordered documents. Refuses to listen to SCOTUS on voting rights. Enables terrorists in Egypt, Libya, Iran. Why the HELL would this action reflect a sudden desire to respect the rule of law, suddenly, after six years, on this one issue?