A legislator with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is making the case that legalizing marijuana on the tribe's reservation in northeastern Wisconsin would give members a much-needed economic boost.

The tribe will hold an advisory referendum Aug. 19 and 20 for its 9,000 members on whether to allow for the use of recreational and medicinal pot . Any such policy the tribe creates would make marijuana available recreationally only for members 21 and older. In addition, smoking marijuana would only be legal on tribal land, and growers would need to obtain a license.

The U.S. Department of Justice allows tribes to grow or sell marijuana on reservations as long as they abide by eight guidelines. The Menominee tribe can proceed with legalization because it answers to federal prosecutors. Wisconsin’s 10 other tribes do not.

The Menominee Indian Reservation makes up 99 percent of Menominee County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , 31.4 percent of county residents live below the poverty level, compared to 13 percent for the state as a whole. The tribe's website cites 2010 data from the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health that shows Menominee County is ranked last in the state in overall quality of health. It also had the highest rates of mortality, obesity, teenage births, unemployment, violent crime and other measures.

Due to a lack of employment opportunities and available housing, as well as an aging infrastructure, the tribe says only about half of its members are able to live on the reservation.

The tribe had been hoping it would be allowed to build an $800 million off-reservation casino complex in Kenosha to improve the lives of its members, but Gov. Scott Walker rejected the proposal in January .

Shortly after that decision, the tribe began to look at marijuana legalization.

Legislator and former tribal chairman Craig Corn denied the move was political payback. Rather, he implied that pot is simply the next best option.

"We have to have a plan B for our history," Corn said Wednesday. "If you look at Native Americans in general … we’re slowly eroding away and we need to do what we can every day to protect our tribal members and ensure that they have a better future than what we had."

Corn pointed to Colorado as an example of how to govern marijuana use properly. In 2014, the state netted $76 million from fees, pre-existing sales taxes on medical marijuana and $44 million on new taxes from recreational pot.

In addition to the economic lift, Corn said that marijuana can help people with health problems like autism, epilepsy, arthritis and diabetes.

However, not everyone supports the notion of legalization. Brandon Thoms is a public relations and communications specialist for Torchlight Consulting and has worked with American Indian tribes across Wisconsin. One of those is the Lac du Flambeau tribe, which he worked with to implement community-based initiatives to curb drug and alcohol abuse.

Thoms acknowledged the difficulties facing the Menominee and the potential economic upside of legalization. He also said he didn’t fault them for exploring marijuana as a solution, but said that it may do more harm than good.

"I have a real concern for our young people," he said. "You know, what sort of long-term effects is this going to have socially and economically?"

Thoms mentioned his concerns were spurred by negative effects associated with drinking, smoking and tobacco use.

Editor’s note: "The Big Question" can be heard each Wednesday at 7 a.m. on the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio.