Seneca Nation voters in western New York gave their leaders approval to explore entering the medical marijuana industry.
In a referendum that coincided with the tribe’s judicial elections, the measure passed this week 448-364, according to The Buffalo News.
The vote permits the Seneca Nation Council to draft laws and regulations to allow for the manufacture, use and distribution of medical cannabis. The measure requires further approval from the tribe’s members if the council wants to enter agreements on medical marijuana with other governments.
“I think this is an opportunity for the Senecas to pursue staying on the front end of something that’s an emerging industry,” local radio host John Kane, who lives on the Seneca’s Cattaraugus territory, told WGRZ News.
In August, the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin approved a referendum to begin growing and selling either or both medical and recreational marijuana.
The DEA raided the Menominee’s hemp grow sites last month, as well as grow sites operated by two smaller tribes in California in July.
