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.”
