U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Brian Mast (R-FL) are calling on President Joe Biden to address what they call the unjust treatment of tribal communities by federal authorities regarding cannabis.
The lawmakers are asking the president to use his authority to ensure the Bureau of Indian Affairs and related agencies refocus their attention on more pressing issues, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and human trafficking on Tribal lands, as opposed to enforcing federal cannabis laws.
“Enforcing Federal cannabis laws on Tribal land, especially in cases where the Tribe and the State have legalized cannabis use, is wrong and it needs to stop,” Joyce said. “Tribes are sovereign nations, and they have just as much of a right to enact and enforce their own laws as States do. I urge the President to take action to prevent the misguided prioritization and unjust enforcement of federal marijuana laws only on reservations.”
In a letter to Biden, the lawmakers cited a recent egregious example of unjust treatment.
“Last year, Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officers raided a home on the land of the Picuris Pueblo in New Mexico, seizing a man’s legal supply of medical cannabis despite the fact that the Pueblo passed laws legalizing its use. Enforcing federal cannabis laws on Tribal land, especially in cases where the Tribe and the State have legalized cannabis use, is wrong and it needs to stop. Not only is it not right, but it is discriminatory. These misguided enforcement actions have sent a chill through Indian Country – Tribes are unsure if the Federal Government will continue to enforce and prioritize federal cannabis laws only on reservations,” they wrote.
Joyce, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, has been working to protect the rights of tribes that have authorized the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of cannabis. He was able to include language in the House Fiscal Year 2023 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, H.R. 8262, to prevent Interior and Justice entities from enforcing federal cannabis laws inconsistent with Tribal laws.
“First and foremost, the Biden Administration needs to respect the sovereignty of Tribes,” Mast said. “But beyond that, last week’s announcement showed a willingness to let states set cannabis policy, so the President should keep with that trend and focus on bigger problems like the violence and exploitation of indigenous communities.”
They urged Biden to take corrective action on this matter.