Native American tribes can choose to legalize pot on their territories, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.
Tribes in states where marijuana is already legal can decide to grow and sell it as long as they follow terms laid out by the federal government, such as making sure it's kept away from kids, federal property and cartels, the DOJ said according to the Associated Press.
The announcement comes after concerns were expressed over how tribes in states like Colorado, Washington and Oregon, where pot is legal, will deal with the issue.
"That's been the primary message tribes are getting to us as U.S. attorneys," Oregon U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall said according to the AP. "What will the U.S. as federal partners do to assist tribes in protecting our children and families, our tribal businesses, our tribal housing?
"How will you help us combat marijuana abuse in Indian Country when states are no longer there to partner with us?" Marshall said.
There are 566 tribes nationwide that the federal government recognizes. Marshall said so far only three tribes have shown interest in growing and selling pot, a fact that possibly reflects issues with drug and alcohol abuse.
"Indian tribes have been decimated by drug use," Anthony Broadman, a Washington lawyer whose firm represents tribes, told the AP. "Tribal regulations of pot are going to have to dovetail with tribal values, making sure marijuana isn't a scourge like alcohol or tobacco."
Washington's Yakama Nation has already banned pot on its reservation and is trying to stop pot sales on other lands where it has hunting and fishing rights.
For Native American nations that are interested in growing pot, there are still a few kinks for the federal government to work out. There is a strong possibility that pot grown on tribal lands could be transported to states where it's still illegal. Furthermore, marijuana is still very much illegal under federal law, Marshall warned.
Yet even with possible social and legal challenges against tribes growing and selling marijuana, there is "potential for an enormous economic development tool here," Broadman told the AP.
"If tribes can balance all the potential social issues, it could be a really huge opportunity," he said.
