Tribes take a pass on Washington's recreational marijuana law

Tuesday, November 5, 2013  

So far, five tribes in Washington say they will not recognize the state of Washington's recreational marijuana law.

Washington Initiative 502 authorizes the use and possession of marijuana in limited circumstances. But the drug remains illegal under federal law and several tribal laws.

“We have a treaty that confirms our sovereignty and self-determination," the Makah Nation said in a letter to its members, The Peninsula Daily News reported. “A big part of that sovereignty is that state laws do not apply to the tribe and its territory."

Get the Story:
Most Peninsula tribal reservations will ban marijuana as it legalizes in state (The Peninsula Daily News 11/5)

Yakama Nation won't recognize marijuana law in Washington (10/29)
Gabe Galanda: State rules must recognize tribal sovereignty (10/7)