RED LAKE — Kevin Jones Jr. and Jeanne Thunder have a message for the tribal members behind every door they knock on: it’s time to legalize marijuana in Red Lake Nation.

Armed with clipboards and dressed in T-shirts that read “Red Lake Nation for Legalization,” the two advocates have been driving from house to house, speaking to residents about a petition that would allow people to use the drug within the reservation’s boundaries.

Regardless of what may happen to marijuana legalization throughout Minnesota, there’s a handful of residents in Red Lake’s sovereign community who are trying to take matters into their own hands. That’s because, for a large number of band members like Jones and Thunder, there’s no shortage of reasons to legalize marijuana.

From declogging the judicial system to bringing more revenue into the community to helping those with medical needs, they’re convinced the change needs to happen. And, although there’s no certainty it will happen, they’re doing everything they can to make sure it does.

They’re also getting a little help from outside Red Lake.

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“We believe full legalization could help (lead) to a healthier and wealthier Red Lake,” said Marcus Harcus, executive director of the Minnesota Campaign for Full Legalization. Harcus spoke about the initiative during a forum April 13 at the Red Lake Community Center. “The most dangerous thing about cannabis is getting caught with it by the police.”

Open Discussion

Those who attended the forum weren’t just curious bystanders who watched quietly from the back row. There were approximately 30 people who came, and one after the other, they spoke up to support the initiative.

One person said they could put the money from marijuana sales into programs for area youth. Another pointed out it would be a good way to bring outside money into the reservation through tourism, similar to the way the casinos do. Jones reiterated that potential economic impact during his remarks at the forum, saying it could help provide a better prospect for the next generation.

“I’m not doing it for the benefit (of being able) to smoke weed; I’m doing it for the benefit of my kids,” Jones said.

Regardless of what profit the tribe could make from legalization, Deann Lasley said it would be beneficial to reduce the number of people who are criminalized for using it.

“Our jail’s filled with people that just get caught with marijuana...that’s uncalled for,” Lasley said. “We need to be up at that council every day or every meeting telling them that this is what we want — this is what we need.”

Organizers were also planning additional meetings, one of which was meant to be held in Minneapolis for band members who live outside the reservation.

Seeking Signatures

Aside from the town-hall type meetings, there’s been plenty of conversations on front lawns and door steps as volunteers make their way around the community collecting signatures.

At nearly 62 years old, Mel Feather is one of the band members who signed the petition. For him, using marijuana comes down to a medical issue. Bound to a wheelchair, diagnosed with diabetes, he doesn’t like to take pain pills. Plus, marijuana helps with his appetite.

“Pain pills are more and more addicting than marijuana is; I see what they do to people,” Feather said.

Multiple Red Lake residents said they don’t have access to Minnesota’s medical marijuana law since the Indian Health Service (IHS) is administered through the federal government, which does not allow for use of the drug. A statement from the Indian Health Service said the organization “may not recommend marijuana or assist patients in obtaining it.” However, it clarified that a patient’s participation in a state-run marijuana program would not affect their eligibility for “IHS care and services.”

Even before they headed out on a recent Thursday to continue campaigning, volunteers already had amassed as many as 2,000 signatures. Once they receive support from 25 percent of the registered voters, they can put it out for a referendum vote.

Jones recently had a meeting about creating a business management plan. Rather than just turning over a bunch of signatures to the tribal leaders, he wants to be able to answer any questions they may have about what the process would look like. They plan to turn the signatures over to the council this summer.

Growing Movement

Red Lake’s legalization campaign has come at a moment when cannabis is receiving greater acceptance nationwide. To date, 10 states, as well as Washington D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana. Thirty-three states, including Minnesota, allow some form of medical marijuana.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has openly said he supports marijuana legalization. In spite of that, the Legislature squashed a proposal just last month that aimed to legalize it.

However, some believe the state could be pressured to legalize it recreationally if the Red Lake Tribe went ahead with it first.

“That gives Red Lake Nation the opportunity to get a head start — to lead the way,” Harcus said at the forum. “Once it’s legalized here, it would help speed up the process at the state level.”

Although it may not have the same grassroots effort as its counterpart to the north, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe also has been looking into the possibility of legalizing marijuana. However, Tribal Chairman Faron Jackson said they’re still just exploring the option by talking about it with the tribe’s various communities and elders. He also said they’ve taken part in various workshops and conferences on the topic.

He said although the tribal council probably could make the decision itself, they would rather let it happen through a referendum vote.

Despite the current energy behind the idea of legalization in Red Lake, it’s not the first time it’s surfaced. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a memo, indicating that tribal nations could legalize marijuana as long as they followed the same guidelines that applied to the states that had legalized it.

After the Department of Justice released the memo, the tribe began conducting a feasibility study in 2015. However, the cursory study largely fell by the wayside, according to David Manuel of 4-Directions Development, which was formerly called the Red Lake Nation Entrepreneur Program.

Mixed Reviews

Although the possibility of legalization has gained renewed interest, the idea hasn’t been universally accepted. Several of those petitioning said they’ve come across at least a handful of people in the reservation who did not like the possibility and refused to sign the petition.

Beltrami County Sheriff Ernie Beitel is also apprehensive about the possibility. Aside from aggravating the substance abuse issues that already exist in Red Lake, he said legalizing marijuana could cause a spillover effect into the rest of the county. And, unlike alcohol, there’s no easy way to determine how much THC — a key component in marijuana — someone has in their system.

Beitel also referenced a report from the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which looked at the effects of legalization in Colorado. According to the report, overall traffic deaths increased by 35 percent, and marijuana-related traffic deaths increased 151 percent.

Also, there’s no guarantee that legalization would actually happen, regardless of how many signatures they receive.

Bob Smith is a Red Lake Tribal Council member who has signed the petition. While he supports putting the issue before the voters, he said the process could be an uphill battle from that point on, due to the reservation’s complex relationship with the federal government.

“I do support giving people the right to make that decision; I’m not going to say ‘no, I’m not signing that’ to make their decision for them,” Smith said. “Even if the vote passes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to happen, but it does mean we will have to make an effort in making it happen.”