Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Approve Referendum Allowing Tribe to Explore Cannabis Legalization

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians on Tuesday approved a referendum
allowing the Tribe to develop “legislation to decriminalize and regulate
possession, production, and distribution of marijuana on Tribal lands.”
Referendum no. 2025-01 passed 1,367 to 1,110, according to a Facebook post.


The Band of Choctaw Indians is the only federally recognized Tribe in
Mississippi and controls about 35,000 acres across 10 counties in the
eastern part of the state.

According to the referendum, the approval will allow the Tribe to conduct a
comprehensive study on enacting both medical and adult-use cannabis
reforms, which would lead to cannabis cultivation and retail cannabis sales
on tribal lands. The Tribe estimates the cost of hiring a consultant to
conduct the study to run about $100,000.

The referendum was approved by a plurality of voters in seven of nine
jurisdictions, with voters in Bogue Chitto, BC-Henning, Bogue Homa, Crystal
Ridge, Pearl River, Red Water, and Tucker voting in favor, while voters in
Conehatta and Standing Pine opposed.

Under current tribal law, criminal penalties are removed for Mississippi
medical cannabis cardholders who possess legal limits on tribal lands. The
referendum notes that cannabis remains outlawed federally but that federal
enforcement of cannabis laws “has been limited.”