Pubdate: Fri, 27 Feb 2015
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388

MARIJUANA HAS SWEET SMELL OF PROFIT FOR INDIAN TRIBES

WASHINGTON (MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICES) - After making hundreds of 
billions of dollars running casinos, American Indian tribes are 
getting a good whiff of another potential moneymaker: marijuana.

The first Tribal Marijuana Conference is set for Friday on the 
Tulalip Indian Reservation in Washington state as Indian Country gets 
ready to capitalize on the nation's expanding pot industry.

Organizers said representatives from more than 50 tribes in at least 
20 states have registered, with total attendance expected to surpass 300.

The gathering comes after the Obama administration said late last 
year that it would not interfere with any federally recognized tribes 
that want to grow and sell pot on reservation lands - if they do a 
good job policing themselves.

The tribes would join the District of Columbia and four states - 
Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska - where voters already have 
approved marijuana for recreational use.

Robert Odawi Porter, one of the conference organizers and the former 
president of the Seneca Nation of Indians in New York, said tribes 
have "a tremendous economic diversification opportunity to consider" 
with marijuana commerce. He said the event would bring together 
"trailblazers" in the industry who will help tribal leaders 
understand the complex issues involved.

While it's unknown how many tribes ultimately will seek to take 
advantage of the change, one analyst warned that any tribe expecting 
to hit the jackpot might be in for a surprise, particularly as the 
supply of legal pot in the U.S. increases.

"People keep forgetting, it's a competitive market," said Mark 
Kleiman, a professor of public policy at UCLA, who served as 
Washington state's top pot consultant. "And it's cheap to grow."

Marijuana is a divisive issue among tribes, with many tribal 
officials worried about high rates of drug addiction among American Indians.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom