Native Americans push for marijuana legalisation in Wisconsin

Following in the footsteps of tribes in South Dakota

A vendor weighs buds in Los Angeles. (Frederic J Brown/Getty)

Two Native American tribes — the Menominee and Ho-Chunk — are working to legalise marijuana in Wisconsin.

Gabe Galanda, an attorney in Seattle, told the Guardian that the tribes would need to “make some kind of deal with the devil" as they draft a resolution supporting legal weed in the Badger State.

“Tribal sovereignty means that state and local government have no say in the regulation of on-reservation affairs. Tribes that seek local and, in turn, federal support must either in letter or in spirit cede sovereignty to state and local government,” he said.

The tribes would be following in the footsteps of Flandreau Santee Sioux of South Dakota who have already passed the same type of legislation. The tribe also owns a successful casino in the region.

"We want it to be an adult playground," tribal President Anthony Reider told the Associated Press. "There's nowhere else in American that has something like this.”

The tribes must follow strict security measures as the marijuana is not allowed the reservation. Consumers are only allowed to purchase 1 gram at a time, priced at $12.50 to $15.

If all goes according to plan, the tribe will reel in an estimate of $2 million a month, the Cannabist reported.