After the Department of Justice issued a memo in December stating that Native Americans could grow and sell marijuana on tribal lands, there was an immediate rush by entrepreneurs to sign up tribes and cash in on the opportunity.
But some legal experts are now cautioning tribes to proceed carefully.
Seattle-based Native American attorney Anthony Broadman warned that the DOJ memo “was not a blank check to just go out and start growing weed,” according to Indian Country Today Media Network.
Rather, he said regulations may even be stricter on tribal lands than off, even in states where medical or recreational marijuana is legal.
Consultant Walter Lamar, another Native American businessman, also said tribes need to be wary of “opportunists and hucksters,” and advised them to ensure first and foremost that they’re following the law.
Broadman and others told the network that tribes should also proceed slowly, warning that individuals could even end up in jail.
