A bill making its way through the Utah Legislature would limit peyote use to members of federally recognized tribes.

"If you're a Native American of a federally recognized tribe participating in a ritual, you will be protected. If you're a white, wanna-be Indian who wants to deal drugs, then you'll be prosecuted," state attorney general Mark Shurtleff said, The Provo Daily Herald reported.

The state's existing peyote law doesn't require membership in a federally recognized tribe. It only states that a person has to be a member of the Native American Church.

The law allowed a man who claims to be Indian but isn't enrolled in a federally recognized tribe to escape prosecution for using and distributing peyote.

Get the Story:
Bill would require proof to use peyote (The Provo Daily Herald 1/19)

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