What to know about Cherokee NC marijuana after comments during Bondi, Tillis hearing – The Asheville Citizen Times
Over a year after it first opened to the public, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary remains the only legal recreational marijuana dispensary in North Carolina.
Though Sen. Thom Tillis asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into a series of allegations he made against the company on Oct. 7, tribal officials have rejected his claims against the industry.
The dispensary was the product of several years’ worth of progress toward a “seed-to-sale” cannabis program, which has received significant investment from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal council. Here’s what to know about the program.
Prior to the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary opening in 2024, EBCI investment into the cannabis industry had been a topic of discussion for years. The EBCI, like many other tribal nations, is a sovereign nation with its own elections, laws, government and institutions that are self-governed and autonomous.
As dozens of states moved to legalize the drug for recreational and medical uses, so did tribal governments. The EBCI voted to approve the drug for medicinal use in 2021, launching a multi-year long project to establish a dispensary. In 2023, the Cherokee voted to approve the drug for recreational use. The effort, however, did not come without pushback from federal lawmakers.
Shortly before passing the referendum on recreational marijuana sales, WNC’s Congressman Chuck Edwards introduced legislation that would have removed federal highway funding from tribes and states that have legalized marijuana.
In March 2024, North Carolina’s Republican Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, sent a letter to federal, state and local officials saying they have a “responsibility to ensure our youth are shielded from untested marijuana products being produced and sold by Qualla Enterprise LLC,” the primary company working to grow, process, test and sell the Eastern Band’s cannabis.
In April 2024, the EBCI celebrated the opening of the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary for medical sales. It first opened for recreational sales for those with tribal membership in July 2024 and then opening recreational sales to the general public in September 2024.
Officials called the dispensary the result of a “gigantic R&D process” as all of the tribe’s products are transported from a farm located on Cherokee tribal lands, also known as the Qualla Boundary. The program has drawn comparisons to the Cherokee gaming industry. In fact, the first dispensary is located within the old Bingo Hall, where gaming first began on the Qualla Boundary.
Similar to the gaming industry, enrolled members of the EBCI will receive per capita distributions from the marijuana industry. In December 2022, per capita distributions were worth $9,042 before tax, according to Cherokee One Feather.
During an Oct. 7 oversight hearing on the Department of Justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she would have her staff “look into” allegations made by Sen. Tillis that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians marijuana operation may be breaking federal law when transporting its products. Principal Chief Michell Hicks has rejected allegations that their program goes against federal law. The EBCI government is the sole shareholder in the company that owns the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary, Qualla Enterprises LLC.
“There’s a growing operation in Western North Carolina that is part of tribal lands. The problem is that I can’t find any legal way to get this pot… to the dispensary, which is in another non-contiguous part of the boundary,” Tillis said during the hearing. Tillis also suggested the dispensary advertisements were “preying on young people.” A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on Bondi’s statement on Oct. 10.
“Our operations are fully compliant with federal and tribal law, guided by safety, transparency and accountability. Senator Tillis’s attacks are not about legality; they are about ego,” Hicks said in a letter posted on social media Oct. 9 “To suggest the EBCI would endanger children through marketing or sales practices is inaccurate and it is offensive to the values that guide our tribe.”
Before you decide to make a visit to the Great Smoky Cannabis Co., here are some things you should know:
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.