North Carolina now allows the legal purchase of medical marijuana, with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians inaugurating their long-anticipated dispensary on tribal land over the weekend.
Many individuals, including those with approved medical patient cards, gathered to commemorate the opening of the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. on the Qualla Boundary, the land belonging to the Eastern Band, as reported by the Asheville Citizen-Times. The event took place on April 20, also known as “420 Day,” a day traditionally associated with the celebration of marijuana.
This ceremony signifies the tribe’s progressive stance on marijuana regulations, with the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana within their territory in 2021. The tribe established a medical marijuana system, including a business to cultivate and distribute cannabis, providing financial benefits to tribal members and assisting individuals with medical conditions.
During the opening ceremony, Forrest Parker, the general manager for Qualla Enterprises, expressed, “This project will change the trajectory of their lives forever. It will be a conduit to generations of social, economic, and spiritual growth, unlike anything that’s ever been witnessed.”
The Eastern Band, consisting of about 14,000 members, has the authority to set rules allowing cannabis as a sovereign nation and federally recognized tribe. While marijuana remains illegal in the rest of North Carolina, concerns have been raised by Republican U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd regarding the enforcement of drug laws in light of the dispensary. The North Carolina General Assembly has contemplated a medical marijuana bill in recent years.
Individuals aged 21 and above with a tribe medical cannabis patient card or an out-of-state approved medical marijuana card can make purchases at the Great Smoky Cannabis Co.
Last September, a majority of Eastern Band voters supported the adult, recreational use of marijuana on tribal land, paving the way for potential legislation to regulate the market. An adult use ordinance may be finalized in June, as reported by council member Boyd Owle.
The dispensary has the potential to generate significant revenue, with projections of over $200 million in gross sales revenues in its first year for medical patients alone, and $385 million if the product is accessible to all adult users, according to Qualla Enterprises’ data released prior to the adult-use referendum last year.
At the ceremony, tribal translator Myrtle Driver Johnson made the first purchase of medical marijuana, conducting the transaction in both English and Cherokee. She revealed that she had named and translated the different cannabis strains into Cherokee.
