TULALIP — “It’s a long, winding road, and we’re at the very beginning of trying to understand what to do about marijuana here in Indian County,” Tulalip Tribes Vice Chairman Les Parks said, following the Feb. 28 Tribal Marijuana Conference.
Parks expects that the Tulalip Tribal Council could consider a motion to legalize marijuana possession as early as Saturday, March 7.
“When you’re considering legalization, you have to have a robust regulation system,” Parks said. “We have a strong history of regulation and a respected tribal court system.”
Parks and Francesca Hillery, tribal public affairs officer, agreed the Tulalip Tribes do not have an official position on the December 2014 Department of Justice memo that contains directives about the prioritization of marijuana enforcement, which many are reading as permission for tribes to start growing and selling marijuana.
“The tribal marijuana conference was the beginning of a dialogue on marijuana legalization and regulation, as well as how marijuana could be a potential source of revenue for tribes,” Hillery said. “Given the fact that it’s still illegal at the federal level, most tribes are cautious in voicing much of an opinion on the matter.”
Parks nonetheless identified himself as a long-time advocate of medical marijuana, stemming in no small part from the struggles of his older sister, who died from Parkinson’s two years ago.
“She was pulled over by tribal police, and even though she had her medical marijuana card, they still nearly hauled her off to jail,” Parks said. “I’ve been an advocate of the miracle value of this plant because of the relief that it gave her.”
Parks emphasized that he supports the medicinal benefits of marijuana, but is unsure whether he would be comfortable with legalizing its recreational use.
“I’ve been lobbying the tribal council to get ahead of the curve on marijuana, because it’s going to be legal everywhere else eventually,” Parks said. “Our membership told us to fix the fact that, if an Indian and a non-Indian are pulled over for marijuana, only the Indian would go to jail. That’s not equal.”
Parks reported that the Food and Drug Administration has approved trials to determine if Cannabidiol, or CBD, can cure epilepsy in children, just as other countries have already begun exploring whether it can treat seizures in adults.
“I’m not as gung-ho about the potential financial benefits as I am about the medical ones,” Parks said. “Some tribes may choose to legalize it for recreational use, but I don’t know whether that would work for ours.”
Parks expressed concerns that the DoJ’s guidance is too vague, which is why the Tulalips will be joining other tribes in Las Vegas March 12 to try and obtain a unified public policy statement on this subject.
“There’s too much room for problems here,” Parks said. “We’re told to work with the U.S. attorneys, but there’s ninety-four of them, so we could have as many as ninety-four different Indian policies on marijuana.”
While the Tulalip Resort Hotel served as the site of the conference, it was co-hosted by the Seattle law firms of Odawi Law and Harris Moure PLLC, who booked and paid for its conference rooms.
