By Brandon Ecoffey
Native Sun News Managing Editor PINE RIDGE—The Oglala Sioux Tribal council voted 9-7 on June 11, to allow the people to decide if alcohol will be consumed and sold legally on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The reservation that is located in the southwestern corner of the Pine Ridge Reservation has had an alcohol prohibition in place for more than one hundred years, minus a one month lift during the Dick Wilson administration in 1970. Advocates of the legalization have noted the enormous amounts of money leaving the reservation for local border towns like Whiteclay, NE. Whiteclay sold 3.9 million cans of alcohol last year despite being a town with a population of only fourteen. Tribal officials have estimated that the tribe could potentially raise $10 million dollars in revenue for the tribe. Tribal members opposed to legalization have noted the high amounts of addiction and poverty on the reservation and feel that alcohol sales would exacerbate them. The council did not outline if individual tribal members would be allowed to distribute alcohol at private businesses or if the tribe itself would be the sole distributor if alcohol sales are passed. (Contact Brandon Ecoffey at staffwriter2@nsweekly.com) Copyright permission by Native Sun News
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