MARYSVILLE — While tribes from across the nation gathered Friday at the Tulalip reservation to discuss legalized marijuana, the Jamestown S’Klallam tribal chairman remained wary about growing, distributing or retailing cannabis.
“We are taking a cautious, due-diligence approach with regard to whether we relate to this industry at any level,” said Ron Allen.
Allen spoke while returning from another gathering where Native American leaders discussed legalized pot with federal officials.
The discussion across Indian Country grows from a U.S. Department of Justice announcement late last year that it wouldn’t obstruct tribal marijuana enterprises such as those made legal in Washington state.
“We’re just observing it and looking at it as a possibility of an industry we might engage in,” Allen said, adding that Jamestown S’Klallam representatives were sent to the Tulalip meeting.
A survey of Native American tribes on the North Olympic Peninsula after the Justice announcement showed that the Jamestown S’Klallam were alone even in considering growing, distributing or selling cannabis.
Representatives of the Makah tribe of Neah Bay, Quileute Nation of LaPush and Lower Elwha Klallam of Port Angeles said they were cool to the idea and had no plans to open marijuana operations.
Allen said that despite Justice’s intent to look the other way, growing and selling pot remains illegal under federal law.
“On the books, there’s still severe penalties for it happening on federal lands, which are inclusive of tribal reservations,” he said.
“We’re not opposed to it. We want to make sure that our laws are reflective of Washington state. We’re going to deliberate on what we need to do.”
At the Tulalip seminar, according to The Seattle Times, opinions on pot were deeply split.
“It could be a money-maker,” said Michael Mason, who works in planning and economic development for the Nisqually tribe near Olympia.
But the shadow of substance abuse among Native Americans could darken that picture.
“It’s going to take a lot of work to convince our elders,” said Henry Cagey of the Lummi Nation near Bellingham, according to The Times.
“It’s going to take a lot of work to protect our kids,” Cagey said. “There are so many variables a tribe has to be concerned about.”
Representatives of about 75 tribes from around the country converged Friday on the Tulalip tribe’s resort and casino for a $605-a-head seminar on the regulatory, legal and social issues related to pot legalization.
That’s a small fraction of the nation’s 566 recognized tribes, and many of the attendees were from smaller tribes looking for a potential economic edge.
“A great deal more are considering this than I thought would be considering it,” said Ken Meshigaud, chairman of the Hannahville Indian Community, a band of the Potawatomi tribe on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Justice in December said tribes must follow the same law enforcement priorities laid out for states that legalize the drug, including keeping marijuana out of the hands of children and criminal elements.
The discussions are heating up.
Last Monday, about 200 tribal leaders attended a meeting of the National Congress of American Indians.
The topic also is on the agenda of a major tribal economic summit in Las Vegas next month.
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Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladailynews.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
