FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota American Indian tribe that sought to open the nation's first marijuana resort burned its crop after federal officials signaled a potential raid, the tribal president said Monday. Flandreau Santee Sioux President Anthony Reider said the tribe had three weeks of discussions with authorities that culminated with a meeting in Washington that included a Justice Department official and U.S. Attorney for South Dakota Randolph Seiler. Reider said the tribe wasn't told a raid was imminent - only that one was possible if the government's concerns weren't addressed. He said the main holdup is whether the tribe can sell marijuana to non-Indians, along with the origin of the seeds used for its crop. [continues 160 words]
Sioux Falls, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota American Indian tribe that sought to open the nation's first marijuana resort burned its crop after federal officials signaled a potential raid, the tribal president said Monday. Flandreau Santee Sioux president Anthony Reider told The Associated Press the tribe had three weeks of discussions with authorities that culminated with a meeting in Washington that included a Justice Department official and U.S. Attorney for South Dakota Randolph Seiler. Reider said the tribe wasn't told a raid was imminent - only that one was possible if the government's concerns weren't addressed. He said the main holdup is whether the tribe can sell marijuana to non-Indians, along with the origin of the seeds used for its crop. [continues 303 words]
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - An attorney for the American Indian tribe planning to open the nation's first marijuana resort says the tribe is destroying its crop and temporarily suspending the project as leaders seek clarification from the federal government. Lawyer Seth Pearman told the Argus Leader newspaper on Saturday that leaders of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe are confident the venture will succeed after seeking clarification from the state and the U.S. Department of Justice. Attorney General Marty Jackley says the tribe's decision is "in the best interest of both tribal and non-tribal members." The tribe, which planned to open its marijuana-selling lounge on New Year's Eve, was the first tribe in South Dakota to legalize the drug following the Justice Department's 2014 decision to allow tribes to do so on tribal land. [end]
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - An American Indian tribe slated to open the nation's first marijuana resort is destroying its crop and temporarily suspending the project in South Dakota while leaders seek clarification from the federal government, according to the tribe's attorney. The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, which planned to open a lounge selling marijuana on New Year's Eve, was the first tribe in South Dakota to legalize the drug following the U.S. Department of Justice's decision last year to allow tribes to do so on tribal land. [continues 299 words]
Tribe Destroying Crop; Hopes to Work Out Solution With U.S. Department of Justice The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe is temporarily suspending its marijuana cultivation and distributing facilities and is destroying its existing crop as leaders seek clarification on regulations from the federal government, according to the tribe's lawyer. Seth Pearman said the suspension is pivotal to the continued success of the marijuana venture and that tribal leadership is confident that after getting clarification from the U.S. Department of Justice, "it will be better suited to succeed." [continues 458 words]
S. Dakota Reservation's Marijuana Resort Could Serve As Model for Others The Santee Sioux tribe has already proven its business acumen, running a successful casino, a 120-room hotel and a 240-head buffalo ranch on the plains of South Dakota. But those enterprises have not been immune to competition and the lingering effects of the Great Recession, so the small tribe of 400 is undertaking a new venture - opening the nation's first marijuana resort on its reservation in Flandreau, S.D. The experiment could offer a new moneymaking model for tribes nationwide seeking economic opportunities beyond casinos. [continues 604 words]
FLANDREAU, S.D. - The Santee Sioux tribe has already proven its business acumen, running a successful casino, a 120-room hotel, and a 240-head buffalo ranch on the plains of South Dakota. But those enterprises have not been immune to competition and the lingering effects of the Great Recession, so the small tribe of 400 is undertaking a new venture - opening the nation's first marijuana resort on its reservation. The experiment could offer a new money-making model for tribes nationwide seeking economic opportunities beyond casinos. [continues 663 words]
FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) - The Santee Sioux tribe has already proved its business acumen, running a successful casino, a 120-room hotel and a 240-head buffalo ranch on the plains of South Dakota. But those enterprises have not been immune to competition and the lingering effects of the Great Recession, so the small tribe of 400 is undertaking a new venture - opening the nation's first marijuana resort on its reservation. The experiment could offer a new moneymaking model for tribes nationwide seeking economic opportunities beyond casinos. [continues 197 words]
FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) - The Santee Sioux tribe has already proven its business acumen, running a successful casino, a 120-room hotel and a 240-head buffalo ranch on the plains of South Dakota. But those enterprises have not been immune to competition and the lingering effects of the Great Recession, so the small tribe of 400 is undertaking a new venture - opening the nation's first marijuana resort on its reservation. Santee Sioux leaders plan to grow their own pot and sell it in a smoking lounge that includes a nightclub, arcade games, bar and food service and eventually, slot machines and an outdoor music venue. [continues 535 words]
FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) - The Santee Sioux tribe has already proven its business acumen, running a successful casino, a 120-room hotel and a 240-head buffalo ranch on the plains of South Dakota. But those enterprises have not been immune to competition and the lingering effects of the Great Recession, so the small tribe of 400 is undertaking a new venture - opening the nation's first marijuana resort on its reservation. The experiment could offer a new money-making model for tribes nationwide seeking economic opportunities beyond casinos. [continues 414 words]
The Santee Sioux bring in a Denver pot consulting company to help grow "an adult playground." Flandreau, S.D. (AP) - The Santee Sioux tribe has proven its business acumen, running a casino, a 120-room hotel and a 240-head buffalo ranch on the plains of South Dakota. Now the small tribe of 400 is undertaking a new venture - opening the nation's first marijuana resort on its reservation. The experiment could offer a moneymaking model for other tribes seeking economic opportunities beyond casinos. [continues 488 words]
FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) - The Santee Sioux tribe has already proven its business acumen, running a successful casino, a 120-room hotel and a 240-head buffalo ranch on the plains of South Dakota. But those enterprises have not been immune to competition and the lingering effects of the Great Recession, so the small tribe of 400 is undertaking a new venture - opening the nation's first marijuana resort on its reservation. The experiment could offer a new money-making model for tribes nationwide seeking economic opportunities beyond casinos. [continues 833 words]
Governor, Some Legislators Are Choosing Not to Attend Days after a South Dakota tribe sent letters inviting state lawmakers to tour its marijuana cultivation and distribution facilities next month, some remain uncertain about how they'll RSVP. In a copy of the letter, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal President Anthony Reider says lawmakers are welcome to tour the facilities and attend a Q & A session next month about the "realities of marijuana in Indian Country" and "the benefits of medical marijuana." Rep. Leslie Heinemann, R-Flandreau, said Tuesday that he hasn't decided yet whether he'll attend. Heinemann represents the tribe as part of the 8th district. [continues 528 words]
FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The former U.S. attorney in North Dakota decided to take on his former employer by filing a motion Thursday to lift an 11-year-old federal injunction that prevents a man from growing industrial hemp on a South Dakota reservation. Timothy Purdon, who now works for a Minneapolis-based law firm, contacted the U.S. attorney's office in South Dakota several months ago in an effort to allow Oglala Sioux Nation member Alex White Plume to produce hemp, as the tribe legalized the crop in 1998 and last year's federal farm bill allowed hemp to be grown through state agriculture departments and college research stations. [continues 304 words]
Washington - Tourists soon may be able to go to a South Dakota Indian reservation, buy a marijuana joint for $10 to $15 and try their luck at the nearby casino. In December, the Flandreau Santee Sioux expect to become the first tribe in the nation to grow and sell pot for recreational use, cashing in on the Obama administration's offer to let all 566 federally recognized tribes enter the marijuana industry. The tribe plans to sell 60 strains of marijuana and predicts sales could bring in as much as $2 million a month. [end]
Grow Facility CEO Insists Flandreau Sioux Tribe Will Alleviate Attorney General's Concerns Five months from now, according to the plan, Indians and non-Indians alike will be smoking marijuana on tribal lands in Flandreau. The U.S. Justice Department told Indian tribes last December that they can grow and sell marijuana as long as they follow the same federal conditions laid out for Washington, Colorado and other states that have legalized the drug. For the tribe and Colorado-based Monarch America, hired to design, construct and develop a grow facility on the Flandreau reservation, that has opened the door to a potentially rich new business enterprise - just as the advent of casino gambling did decades ago. [continues 1391 words]
Attorney General Marty Jackley Says Use and Possession of Marijuana by "Non-Indians" Is Still Against the Law FLANDREAU - An American Indian tribe in eastern South Dakota has approved selling and using marijuana on tribal lands. The executive committee of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe voted Thursday to legalize marijuana, KELO-TV and KSFY-TV report. Tribal president Tony Reider says the tribe will grow marijuana at a secure facility, and tribal attorney Seth Pearman says customers would need a valid registration card to buy it. [continues 73 words]
An Emery Woman Is the Latest Advocate Attempting to Legalize Medical Marijuana in South Dakota Six-hundred fifty miles. That's the length Melissa Mentele has gone in search of relief. Mentele has lived with chronic pain since a 2012 workplace injury. She was moving a nursing home resident who suddenly resisted, permanently damaging Mentele's arm and shoulder in the process. Three years and a dozen medications later, she's only found one that helps: cannabis lotion. It's a cream derived from the cannabis plant, more commonly known as marijuana, and it's illegal in South Dakota. Mentele drove 650 miles to Boulder, Colo., in October and again in February to get the treatment. [continues 1098 words]
Another reason to allow citizens to use cannabis that doesn't get mentioned (Letter: Pros and cons of alcohol vs. marijuana, March 6), is because it is Biblically correct, since God (the ecologician), created all the seed bearing plants saying they're all good on literally the very first page of the Bible. A sane or moral argument to cage responsible adults who use cannabis doesn't exist. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Marijuana is an illegal substance in U.S., used by college students to get "high." It has become a recent debate over whether it is right to legalize marijuana or to keep it as an illegal substance. There are several articles that say smoking marijuana is healthier for our body compared to drinking alcohol. As an international student, I think that smoking weed is safer than drinking alcohol. My research found that 70 percent of the accidents recorded in the U.S. were because of driving and driving. On the other hand, smoking weed is less dangerous. I found out that from 1999 to 2010, just 12 percent of the accidents recorded in the U.S. were because of driving high. For example: Marijuana and alcohol are used in social activities to have fun. Marijuana and alcohol share some health effects. Both marijuana and alcohol affect the cognitive abilities of the brain during use and affect the brain and motor skills of the user. Marijuana has long-term effects when compared to alcohol. When consumed in a large amount, alcohol will destroy irreplaceable cells in the brain. Also, drinking too much can make the user violent, pass-out and unable to remember what has happened. The next day they will feel sick and will get a headache. Smoking a lot of marijuana will never make someone violent. Marijuana will help you to relieve pain if you have cancer, and the doctors can recommend it to the patient to smoke medical marijuana. It is impossible for you to find a doctor that will recommend alcohol to their patient. [continues 67 words]
Good for the North Dakota House defeating legalizing medicinal use of marijuana (aka 'pot'). The legislator who introduced the bill made the uneducated argument that "this is not a drug issue but a quality of life issue for the people of North Dakota." Oh, really. In a western state where now pot is legally obtainable, my grandson, at age 11, was introduced to pot on his school campus. Last year, at 171/2 years of age, he entered a youth rehabilitation facility for 45 days at the parent's expense. [continues 111 words]
Inside South Dakota
