Recreational marijuana sales begin on North Carolina tribal land, drug illegal in state otherwise

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on Saturday began selling marijuana and cannabis products to all adults 21 and older at their tribal dispensaries in North Carolina, where possession or use of the drug is illegal.

A post on the Facebook page of Great Smoky Cannabis Co., located on the western tribal lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, called the day “history in the making” with a video showing a line of people waiting outside the store shortly before sales begin at 10 a.m.

The exhaust already started 4th of july to sell in-store or drive-thru products for recreational use to adults enrolled in the tribe or another federally recognized tribe. It had opened its doors in April, initially to adults medical marijuana purchases.

Possession or use of marijuana is otherwise illegal in North Carolina, but the tribe can adopt regulations regarding cannabis as a sovereign nation. Of North Carolina and its surrounding states, only Virginia allows legal recreational use of marijuana statewide.

Tribe members voted in a referendum last September to support adult recreational use on their reservation and tell the tribal council to develop legislation to regulate such a market. Those details were worked out by the council, and in June, language was approved that effectively decriminalized cannabis on the Eastern Band’s lands, the Qualla Boundary.

The move also had its detractors. Shortly before the referendum, Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards introduced a bill that would have withdrawn federal highway funding from tribes and states that had legalized marijuana — a bill that ultimately died.

The Great Smoky Cannabis marijuana dispensary, located near the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, is expected to generate more revenue for the tribe’s 14,000-member community as its customer base grows.