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Menominee Nation leader wants to move quickly on marijuana






A view of the Menominee Nation in Wisconsin. Photo from Facebook

A leader of the Menominee Nation wants the tribe to move quickly on a plan to legalize marijuana.

Craig Corn, a former chairman who serves on the tribe's governing body, will be attending the first-ever Tribal Marijuana Conference next week. He hopes to come back with an update for tribal members.

'Now we embark on a new economic endeavor, it is time to progress forward. We are gonna fast track a effort to legalize Marijuana," Corn said on Twitter today.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. A new Department of Justice policy could open the door to tribes that want to legalize the drug.

"It's a very gray area right now," Carl Artman, an attorney and former head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "There are still a whole lot of things to overcome before they could do it."

Wisconsin falls under Public Law 280, a federal law that grants civil and criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country to the state. The Menominee Nation, however, is exempt.

Otherwise, marijuana remains illegal in the state for nearly every purpose.

Get the Story:
Menominee tribal official raises prospect of growing marijuana (The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2/20)

Relevant Documents:
Department of Justice Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)

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