Navajo Lawmaker Firm on Stance Against Legalizing Marijuana

By
Emily Cegielski

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — A lawmaker on the country’s largest American Indian reservation has introduced a bill to reaffirm the tribe’s stance against legalizing marijuana.

Navajo Nation Council Delegate Edmund Yazzie says legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational use contradicts Navajo values and tradition.

His bill introduced this week comes in response to an announcement last year by the U.S. Department of Justice to allow American Indian tribes to grow and sell marijuana within certain guidelines.

Navajo lawmakers can take action on Yazzie’s bill after a public comment period.

Yazzie has said legalizing marijuana would drive up crime rates and drug addiction on the vast reservation that extends into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.

Other tribes across the nation are cautiously debating whether to approve marijuana sales and use.

Emily Cegielski

By
Emily Cegielski

Recent Posts

DMT Lab Discovered in Brentwood, California During Robbery Raid

Multiple suspects face numerous charges for alleged burglary, grand theft, manufacturing and possessing a controlled…

11 hours ago

States with Adult-Use Pot Saw Decrease in Alcohol Use, No Increase in Teen Substance Abuse

Adult-use cannabis laws and sales were not associated with an overall increase in teen substance…

11 hours ago

Research Shows Some Rolling Papers Have High Levels of Heavy Metals

A recent study shows that many rolling papers and cones have elevated levels of potentially…

11 hours ago

MedMen Files for Bankruptcy

The once prominent cannabis company has now entered receivership, and its assets and operations will…

11 hours ago

New Mexico Governor Calls Homeland Security Secretary’s Response to Pot Seizures ‘Inappropriate’

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was “offended” by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ response to her…

11 hours ago

DEA Moves To Reclassify Cannabis Under Schedule III in Historic Move, Report Indicates

The DEA under the Biden administration finally proposed the process of moving cannabis to Schedule…

1 day ago