1/8/21

As Noem says 'nyet' to non-tribal cannabis Oglala Lakota Nation seats commission

Since at least 2011 I've taken my proposal to mirror state gaming statutes to mayors and several commission members to make Deadwood the exclusive non-tribal cannabis market but they have always blown me off because they wanted the sports betting gig. So my position today is that the tribal nations trapped in South Dakota must have exclusive production and distribution privileges. 

Today, as Deadwood is slated to become the only seat of sports gambling in the state Republican Governor Kristi Noem is jamming the brakes on non-tribal cannabis. 
Noem, a Republican, warned in a veto message two years ago that legalizing industrial hemp in South Dakota would lead to legalizing recreational marijuana. Meanwhile she campaigned against Amendment A last fall. Noem described the marijuana votes as “disappointing” when she made her budget recommendations to lawmakers December 8. She spoke at length about the issue. [KELO teevee
If the Neanderthal South Dakota Legislature had any integrity or ethics (they don’t) they would empower the tribal nations trapped in South Dakota to be the sole cannabis industry producers in the state (they won't). 
On Wednesday, December 30, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council met for their regular December session; with a vote of 20-0, the council voted to seat Jody Bird Head (three year term), Janelle Rooks (three year term) and Maxine Knife Chief (two year term) on the OST Cannabis Commission. [Lakota Times]
Proving irony is dead the red moocher state that routinely legislates against reproductive rights is dragging its feet on legal cannabis for white people by saying lawyers can't serve the cannabis industry because it's illegal under federal law. 

However, the US House has passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 or MORE Act which removes cannabis from Schedule 1 but legalization remains in the hands of the states. The bill's lead sponsor in the Senate is Vice President-elect Sen. Kamala Harris. It's unlikely the bill will pass in the current Senate but now that the Georgia runoffs have put the Senate in Democratic hands Vice President Harris will vote to break the inevitable 50-50 tie.

1 comment:

larry kurtz said...

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe is gearing up to resume its cannabis plans: Moody County Enterprise.