SEATTLE — American Indian tribes wrestling with whether to legalize marijuana have scheduled a national conference on the topic next month in Washington state.
Organizer Robert Odawi Porter, a tribal law expert and former president of Seneca Nation in New York, says there’s been a lot of discussion among tribes since the Justice Department announced in December that it would allow them to grow and sell marijuana.
A few tribes have expressed interest in the legal pot business. But for many, concerns about substance abuse are paramount. Porter says the conference will explore the legal, business, social and cultural questions facing tribes when it comes to marijuana.
The Feb. 27 event at the Tulalip Resort Casino is being co-sponsored by Seattle attorneys Hilary Bricken and Robert McVay, who have hosted other conferences on legal pot.