Tribes in Wisconsin discuss marijuana with federal prosecutors


A dispensary in Denver, Colorado. Photo from O'Dea / Wikipedia

Several tribes in Wisconsin have been meeting with federal prosecutors to discuss legal marijuana, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law but a new Department of Justice policy could open the door to tribes that want to legalize the drug. Wisconsin, however, is in a different situation because it falls under Public Law 280.

As a result, the state can exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country -- marijuana is illegal for nearly every purpose. But cannabis oil was legalized last year and experts say that might tip the scales for tribes.

"Wisconsin has decriminalized what appears to be a very narrow usage of marijuana for these seizures," professor Matthew Fletcher of Turtle Talk told the paper. "The question is whether this apparently narrow state law is sufficient to serve as an entrée into broader tribal decriminalization."

The only tribe in the state that does not fall under PL280 is the Menominee Nation. A tribal leader has brought up legal marijuana but no firm decisions have been made.

At least four tribes from the state attended the first-ever Tribal Marijuana Conference late last month, the Journal Sentinel reported.

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Tribes wonder: Does cannabidiol law open door to pot operations? (The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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