Recreational marijuana sales begin on North Carolina tribal lands

CHEROKEE, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) – The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians began selling marijuana for recreational use to the public on Saturday, Sept. 7.

Buyers must be at least 21 years old and present a valid photo ID. Customers do not have to be North Carolina residents or members of the tribe.

Cannabis is legal in the sovereign territory but cannot legally be transported outside the Qualla Boundary.

Great Smoky Cannabis Co. opened its doors at 10 a.m. to a new customer base. The shop has been dispensing marijuana to people with medical cards since April 20 and recreationally to members of recognized tribes since July 4.

ECBI issued a referendum in Sept. 2023 to gauge interest from members about widening who they could sell to. The measure garnered 70 percent support.

Officials with Qualla Enterprises estimated they could earn $385 million in the first year of selling to all people over the age of 21, as opposed to $200 million selling to only medical patients.

The EBCI Cannabis Control Board regulates the industry, and an independent lab tests the products.

U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd wrote an open letter to law enforcement asking for a plan to uphold federal and state laws when sales first began.

Queen City News reached out to District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch for comment about the new sales but did not hear back.

North Carolina lawmakers continue to debate legislation that would legalize marijuana for medical uses after multiple pieces of legislation failed in the statehouse.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration set a hearing for Dec. 2 to take comments on reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

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