326 Sovereign Nations within U.S.
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, December 26, 2014 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
During the last several months, a joint committee of the Georgia General Assembly held hearings on the pros and cons of legalizing medical marijuana for childhood seizures. As a result, three marijuana bills have been pre-filed for 2015, and two of them legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
Although marijuana is illegal under federal law, in August of last year, the Justice Department authorized states that legalize marijuana to open stores to sell it. So, this year Colorado and Washington State opened the first marijuana stores in the U.S. In November Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia voted to legalize marijuana and could open stores to sell it there.
The United States has 566 federally recognized American Indian tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs says there are 326 American Indian reservations that govern themselves as sovereign nations with certain federal restrictions. That explains why casinos operate on American Indian reservations in states that prohibit casinos.
On December 11th the Department of Justice announced that Indian tribes may grow and sell marijuana, if they follow the same federal conditions laid out for states, even if the reservations are located in states where marijuana is not legal.The Yakama Nation in Washington recently banned marijuana on its reservation and is trying to stop it where they hunt and fish. Northern California’s Hoopa Valley Tribe has been fighting illegal pot plantations on its reservation and the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council in South Dakota rejected a proposal to grow it there. However, three tribes seem interested in legalizing marijuana.
The co-founder of an anti-legalization group says he’s concerned that “a situation is quickly forming where people living in states who do not want legalization will in fact be living 10 minutes away from a marijuana store.”
The most absurd opinion expressed for legalizing marijuana on tribal lands may be this: “Regulating and taxing marijuana like alcohol would bring significant revenue and new jobs to these communities. Studies have consistently found above-average rates of alcohol abuse and related problems among Native American communities, so it would be incredibly beneficial to provide adults with a safer recreational alternative.”
Can anyone prove that marijuana is safer than alcohol? There is no American Indian reservation in Georgia, but marijuana will become legal here, if we don’t stop it in the upcoming session. For Georgia Insight, I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.