Native American reservations have just been given the legal federal authority to grow and sell marijuana.
The Justice Department said it isn’t going to go after reservations if its residents decide to cultivate pot for sale, even if the states the reservations are located in still deem the drug illegal, The Washington Post reported.
The federal government’s announcement didn’t come from any particular plea from reservationists to sell the weed. Rather, Oregon U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall said the guidelines were issued on the heels of an inquiry from tribal governments to see if the Department of Justice would actually back bans of pot sales on reservations in states where marijuana is legal — Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Alaska, The Post reported.
And the answer: The feds say reservations can make their own rules regarding pot.
The United States is home to 326 federally recognized reservations, most of which are located in states that ban the use of marijuana for recreational use.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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