The Cole Memorandum is a US Attorney's office policy statement that contains provisions that provide for the production, sale, and distribution of Cannabis as it pertains to Indian Tribal land. Specifically, the Cole memo lays down guidelines for the United States Attorney's Office and its involvement with Marijuana concerned with the following:
use by
.
proceeds funding gangs and cartels.
Transportation of
from states where it is legal to states where it is not.
as a “cover up” for more illicit drug activity.
Violent crimes involving guns related to
.
Impaired driving.
on federal land that endangers the environment.
possession on federal property.
The Cole memo stresses the notion that the prosecution of federal marijuana crimes will be targeted to those who violate one or more of the above policy concerns. However, this is not necessarily dispositive. Generally, the US attorney's office has license to prosecute based on the “interests of the department”
Tribal marijuana criminal defense attorney, Bill Kroger, is well versed in the nuances of the Cole Memorandum as well as other pertinent policy discussions and laws related to Cannabis activity on Tribal land.
Tribal law prohibits the sale of Marijuana to anyone under the age of 18.
Driving while impaired still remains a crime and does apply to marijuana.
Transport of Marijuana across states
Generally, yes. The Assimilative Crimes act makes any violation of a state's criminal law a federal crime on tribal land.
The Assimilative Crimes act hinges on the notion that when the government prosecutes an offense, it is not merely enforcing state law, but actually federal law merely by applying the state law to the offense.
Essentially, it attempts to hold tribes to legal standards similar to US law by holding them accountable for the state and local laws they are surrounded by.
In 2014, the Cole memo laid out guidelines that stated the US Department of Justice would not prosecute on the basis of federal laws pertinent to
on tribal land.
In October 2015, raided Menominee Tribal land and seized roughly 30,000 cannabis plants.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs and law enforcement had previously taken no issue with the tribe's hemp plants.
However, a sample taken by law enforcement alleged to have tested positive for the indication of Marijuana.
After the plants were seized and destroyed by the DEA, the Menominee tribe filed a lawsuit against the DOJ and the DEA.
The lawsuit claimed that the tribe had the right to grow Hemp under the 2014 Federal Farm Bill with assistance from the College of the Menominee nation.
The 2014 farm bill held that states could ––in conjunction with institutions of higher education–– research and grow hemp if those states had legalized hemp production.
The lawsuit also argued that since the tribe had legalized hemp on its lands, the laws of Wisconsin ––which surrounded Menominee lands–– did not apply and were not relevant.
The court held that the tribe of the Menominee nation was not a “state” and as such, was governed by Wisconsin's state laws, which made hemp production a crime.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed sed augue mauris. Integer placerat et massa in pharetra. Cras diam mi, tincidunt nec erat in, mollis sagittis sapien. Quisque ultrices id diam quis dapibus. Nullam ac erat ac justo convallis fringilla nec ut purus. Vivamus volutpat orci et lacus tempus fringilla. Morbi sed erat vel nisi blandit placerat eget eget sapien.
Nulla eget tristique leo. Proin dignissim tellus nec risus congue fringilla. Donec interdum purus sem, a finibus ante efficitur ornare. Quisque ullamcorper pharetra lacus, vitae pharetra magna pretium vel. Donec aliquet purus sed pellentesque mollis. Pellentesque vestibulum eget massa in facilisis. Phasellus eu risus non metus consectetur facilisis. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus. In vitae fermentum enim, in vulputate diam. Aliquam malesuada urna suscipit, elementum sapien ac, posuere nisl.
Integer malesuada leo quis erat imperdiet aliquet. Aliquam ut eros vulputate, pharetra nulla quis, bibendum justo. Suspendisse justo leo, efficitur vel ex nec, fermentum condimentum dui. Suspendisse ut massa sit amet ligula mattis viverra. Sed sed turpis ligula. In vulputate, enim sit amet laoreet blandit, elit nisl fermentum odio, nec convallis libero dolor nec tellus. Donec rutrum nibh non nibh tincidunt, non iaculis diam dignissim. Sed nec massa pellentesque, gravida sem id, lobortis nisi. Integer turpis metus, sagittis vitae metus vel, feugiat congue nibh.
Vestibulum sed arcu eleifend ipsum eleifend semper nec sed est. Nam dapibus massa ut scelerisque egestas. Integer at elit faucibus elit molestie luctus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur nulla neque, rhoncus sit amet ultricies ac, sagittis ac nibh. Praesent mattis ultricies nisi vitae efficitur. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc ullamcorper non est vitae faucibus. Duis pellentesque magna fermentum leo molestie, et dapibus diam dictum. Vivamus eu purus ullamcorper, consequat diam quis, blandit eros. Cras ultrices finibus metus, eget tempor sem euismod quis. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus.
Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Fusce hendrerit arcu vel nisi bibendum, nec accumsan nunc sollicitudin. Mauris eu pretium ante, at rhoncus metus. Nunc dignissim turpis vel libero commodo imperdiet. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Donec gravida arcu eu turpis lobortis, vitae bibendum lectus egestas. Phasellus gravida eleifend ligula, eu sagittis diam rhoncus ut. Suspendisse fringilla ipsum eu purus tincidunt ornare. Vestibulum tincidunt enim eu ante mattis interdum. Integer molestie, est quis tincidunt dapibus, ex diam ultrices enim, nec vestibulum lectus orci non elit. Etiam vestibulum justo erat, ut vulputate urna dapibus vitae. Fusce ultrices lacus ac eros scelerisque, non malesuada neque ultrices. In pretium mi sed eros pharetra, eu molestie felis consectetur.
This page was reviewed and approved by William S. Kroger, a leading criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles. Mr. Kroger has decades of experience defending clients in both state and federal courts. He is recognized for his strong trial skills and dedication to protecting the rights of the accused. Throughout his career, he has successfully represented clients facing a wide range of serious criminal charges. His personalized defense strategies are designed to achieve the best possible outcome in every case. Clients trust Mr. Kroger for his knowledge, commitment, and proven results.
He is also an active member of respected legal organizations, including the American Bar Association and the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers. With his expertise and reputation, William S. Kroger is regarded as one of California’s top defense lawyers.
"*" indicates required fields
