The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday Native American tribes can grow and sell marijuana on tribal lands, as long as they follow the same federal conditions laid out for states that have legalized the drug.
But pot sales likely won't be coming to Oklahoma anytime soon.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma Sanford Coats serves on the attorney general's advisory subcommittee on Native issues.
He told The Oklahoman’s Randy Ellis he thinks that decision not to enforce the federal drug laws would only be limited to states that have voted to liberalize marijuana statutes.
“Basically, what I think the Department of Justice has recognized is that in states where there is legal marijuana in some form, tribes may want to get into that business,” he said. “This gives some guidance on what the reaction of federal law enforcement ought to be.” Coats said he doesn’t foresee Oklahoma Indian tribes rushing into pot sales. “I think that’s extremely unlikely in Oklahoma,” Coats said.
Spokesmen for the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations said they weren't familiar with the issue, and didn't think it was on anyone's radar.
“Practically, I can’t see how that would even be possible in Oklahoma because we don’t have any legalized sale of marijuana here, medical or otherwise. “Part of the policy...contemplates a well-regulated state system for marijuana cultivation and sale and, for obvious reasons, we don’t have that here in Oklahoma,” Coats said. “Not only do we have no indication that any of our tribes in the western district are interested, practically, I’m not sure that’s even a realistic possibility.”
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