Legal Cannabis On A Native Reservation In South Dakota Where Alcohol Is Illegal

In South Dakota, more precisely in Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, marijuana is legal, but alcohol is banned...quite the opposite from many other states.

In 2020, the Oglala Sioux Tribe voted to legalize recreational and medical marijuana on their reservation.

Recently, at a Pine Ridge dispensary, visiting cannabis users said they view marijuana "as a safe and natural way to obtain relief from mental health disorders and chronic illnesses, which are common among tribal citizens."

Alcohol Vs. Cannabis

Although the tribe has prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol for more than 100 years, smuggling and abuse continue. "Alcohol has wreaked havoc on the health, safety, and life expectancy of tribal members," dispensary clients said.

“It’s killing our youth — it’s killing our future generation,” said cannabis user Ann Marie Beane, a shopper at the No Worries dispensary in the 'legal weed' town in Pine Ridge. She added that “cannabis is a natural plant that comes from the Earth — and our people lived off the land, and they got their medicine from the land.

“Our Indigenous people, suffer a lot from diabetes and cancer and various other illnesses, but the cannabis really helps them,” continued Beane, who, along with her 22-year-old daughter, use cannabis to ease their anxiety.

Recreational Marijuana Could Reduce Number Of Drug-Related Premature Deaths

High rates of premature death on the reservation due to car accidents, violence and conditions stemming from drug use such as alcohol, methamphetamine and opioids are notable. For this reason, shoppers at the No Worries dispensary agree that marijuana use is less dangerous, despite being aware that irresponsible cannabis use could lead to physical and mental health problems as well.

The Oglala Sioux tribe, according to the US Census Bureau, has a population of 20,000 people. A 2012 lawsuit noted that "about 25% of children born on the reservation had health or behavioral problems caused by alcohol exposure in the womb." The lawsuit was filed against the now-closed breweries across the border in Nebraska.

According to a 2019 estimate from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Median, life expectancy is 64.5 years in Oglala Lakota County, the lowest of any county in the US and 15 years below the national average.

Cannabis As A Medicinal Plant

Customers who, after presenting their credentials, enter the dispensary to purchase weed, joints and edibles. Some use marijuana medicinally saying that it relieves anxiety, pain, and other medical conditions, especially since they often have limited access to health care services and healthy foods. Their primary healthcare provider is the Indian Health Service.

Only a few clients in No Worries said they use marijuana for purely recreational reasons. “I’d rather smoke than do other drugs because I almost gave up on my kids,” said a 27-year-old woman who said she has seen drugs kill tribal citizens and wants to be a responsible parent after recovering from an addiction to stronger drugs.

“Unfortunately, the health care services provided by the Indian Health Service have failed so many in countless ways,” said Stephanie Bolman, a breast cancer patient, former health care worker and council member for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.

“It has left many to fend for themselves and endure so much pain and suffering that medical marijuana has proven to be lifesaving,” Bolman said show. 

Alcohol: A Risk For Well-Being

Moreover, in 2020, when the marijuana initiative was approved by tribal citizens in the Pine Ridge Reservation, they rejected a proposal to legalize alcohol sales and consumption within the two casinos on the reservation.

"Lakota people did not use marijuana in pre-colonial times," said Craig Howe, a Lakota historian. Lakota and other Great Plains tribes also didn’t use alcohol until it was introduced by white traders in the 1800s.

Alcohol “was meant to control our people, and eventually, it became a weapon of mass destruction,” said Ruth Cedar Face, an addiction treatment counselor and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

“When it becomes a problem, when it becomes an addiction, that’s because they’re medicating away the things they need to deal with, like the trauma that is usually the core of any kind of addiction or unhealthy behavior,” Cedar Face continued. She added that medical marijuana can be helpful for certain medical and mental health conditions but that it’s not a cure-all.

What Does The Oglala Sioux Law Say About Cannabis Use?

According to Oglala Sioux law, people must be 21 or older to buy or use cannabis. They can face jail time for providing marijuana to minors and fines for using cannabis while driving. Dispensaries can sell only marijuana grown on the reservation, and customers are prohibited from transporting it elsewhere. "About 40% of No Worries customers live outside the reservation, with many traveling from the Black Hills of South Dakota or northwestern Nebraska," said No Worries owner Adonis Saltes.

However, recreational marijuana is illegal in South Dakota, which means law enforcement officers could charge anyone caught transporting or using cannabis outside reservation boundaries.

Photo: Courtesy of Dulcey Lima on Unsplash