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U.S. Department

o

Justice

Executive Office for United States Attorneys

Oftlce

o

the Director Room 2261, RFK Main Justice Building

202) 252-1000

950 Pennsylvania Avenue,

W

Washington, DC 20530

MEMORANDUM Sent via Electronic Mail

DATE:

OCT Z

2 14

TO:

ALL UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS

ALL FIRST ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS

ALL CRIMINAL CHIEFS

ALL APPELLATE CHIEFS

ALL OCDETF COORDINATORS

ALL TRIBAL LIAISONS

k jJJt -

FROM:

J ~ h ; / w i l k i n s o n

Director

SUBJECT:

Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country

ACTION REQUIRED:

None. Information Only.

CONTACTS:

Daniel Grooms

Associate Deputy Attorney General

Office

o

the Deputy Attorney General

(202) 305-4127

Daniel. Grooms3 @usdoj. gov

Jason

F

Cunningham

National Narcotics Coordinator

Indian, Violent and Cyber Crime Staff

Executive Office for United States Attorneys

(202) 252-5846

Jason. Cunningham@usdoj .gov

Tracy Toulou

Director, Office ofTribal Justice

(202) 514-8812

Tracy.Toulou2@usdoj.gov

With a number

o

states legalizing marijuana for use and production, some tribes have

requested guidance on the enforcement

o

the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) on tribal lands by

mailto:Tracy.Toulou2@usdoj.govmailto:Tracy.Toulou2@usdoj.govmailto:Tracy.Toulou2@usdoj.gov

7/21/2019 DOJ Memo on Tribal Pot Policies

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theUnitedStatesAttorneys' offices. Withtheserequestsinmind,theAttorneyGeneral'sNative

American Issues Subcommittee has reviewed the Memorandum from the Deputy Attorney

General, datedAugust 29, 2013, regarding marijuanaenforcement("Cole Memorandum")and

considereditsimpactonIndianCountry.

The Cole Memorandum provides guidance to United States Attorneys on the proper

prioritization o marijuanaenforcement in their districts given the numbero states that have

moved to legalize marijuana for medicinal, agricultural, or recreational use. Specifically, the

Cole Memorandum lists eight federal law enforcement priorities where the Department will

focus itslimited investigativeandprosecutorialresourcesinall states. Theseeightprioritiesare

asfollows:

Preventingthedistributiono marijuanato minors;

Preventing revenue from the sale o

marijuana from going to criminal enterprises,

gangs,andcartels;

Preventingthediversiono marijuanafrom stateswhere its legalunderstate lawin

someformtootherstates;

Preventingstate-authorizedmarijuanaactivityfrombeingusedascoverorpretextfor

thetraffickingo otherillegaldrugsorillegalactivity;

Preventing violence and the use o firearms in the cultivation and distribution o

marijuana;

Preventing drugged driving and the exacerbation

o

other adverse public health

consequencesassociatedwithmarijuanause;

Preventingthe growingo marijuanaonpublic landsand the attendantpublicsafety

andenvironmentaldangersposedbymarijuanaproductiononpubliclands;and

Preventingmarijuanapossessionoruseonfederalproperty.

The Cole memorandumcontains the additionaldirective that"nothinghereinprecludes

investigation orprosecution, even in theabsenceo

any one

o

the factors .. . , in particular

circumstances where the investigation and prosecution otherwise serve an important federal

interest."

Indian Country includes numerous reservations and tribal lands withdiverse sovereign

governments,manyo which traverse statebordersandfederal districts. Giventhis, theUnited

States Attorneys recognize that effective federal lawenforcement in IndianCountry, including

marijuana enforcement, requires consultation with our tribal partners in the districts and

flexibilitytoconfronttheparticular,yetsometimesdivergent,publicsafetyissuesthatcanexist

onanysinglereservation.

NothingintheColeMemorandumalterstheauthorityorjurisdictiono theUnitedStates

to

enforce federal law in Indian Country. Each United StatesAttorney mustassess all o the

threatspresent

n

his orher district, including those inIndian Country, and focus enforcement

effortsbasedonthatdistrict-specificassessment. Theeightpriorities intheColeMemorandum

will guideUnited StatesAttorneys' marijuanaenforcementefforts inIndian Country, including

n

theeventthat sovereignIndianNationsseekto legalizethecultivationoruseo marijuanain

Indian Country. Consistent with the Attorney General's 2010 Indian Country Initiative, in

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evaluating marijuana enforcement activities in Indian Country, each United States Attorney

should consult with the affected tribes on a government-to-government basis. When in the

judgment o a United States Attorney, significant issues or enforcement decisions arise that may

implicate this policy statement, each United States Attorney should keep the Executive Office for

United States Attorneys, the Office

o

Tribal Justice, and the Office

o

the Deputy Attorney

General informed

o

those matters, in advance

o

any determination on how

to

proceed, in order

to keep the Department s leadership apprised

o

significant issues and

to

maintain consistency

throughout the Department.

cc

All United States Attorneys Secretaries

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