Marijuana plant (file photo)
Indian tribes that grow pot won’t be prosecuted by federal officials.
The U.S. Justice Department is relaxing enforcement of marijuana laws on sovereign lands, but Indian tribes in Wisconsin are not expected to start growing or selling pot any time soon.
State Attorney General JB Van Hollen will continue to enforce Wisconsin laws against growing and selling the drug, including on Indian reservations. Spokesperson Dana Brueck says officers will enforce all state drug laws within its jurisdiction and continue to work with tribal police in their efforts to combat drugs and gangs on tribal lands. She says, “If the federal government wishes to decriminalize certain drugs, it should do so through Congress as opposed to through executive officers who are sworn to uphold the law, picking and choosing which laws to enforce and where to enforce them based on political considerations.”
Regardless of the changes, federal officials say charges are still possible when marijuana use leads to intoxicated driving, or when the drug is sold to minors. The new policy comes after a 2013 decision to end most federal marijuana prosecutions in states where the drug has been legalized.