Drugs on the Reservation

Indian leaders in Minnesota are discussing the possibility of selling Canadian pharmaceuticals on Minnesota reservations and through existing Indian-owned businesses, such as pharmacies located in casinos, the Apee reports today. Already, Indian tribes make use of the special legal status of reservations and Indian-owned properties as a boon in the gambling business. Will such places increasingly become oases for other activities that are outlawed or morally frowned-upon in the rest of the country? Duty-free zones? Law-free zones? Morality-free zones? Imported pharmaceuticals is an issue on which responsible people can disagree; our own governor supports efforts to make Canadian pharmaceuticals more easily accessible to Minnesotans. The trend toward making Indian land and property a special zone where national laws do not apply -- or where the laws of other countries and sovereignties apply -- has obvious glocal implications. To some degree it's indication of the continuing fragmentation of America into myriad communities that are bound not by a single national law but rather by myriad sets of laws, customs, and languages. It's a trend that probing glocal journalism can illuminate by describing compelling examples, such as the proposal above, as well as making clear their relation to broader social trends, and their potential benefits and risks.