Current:Home > InvestRecreational marijuana sales begin on North Carolina tribal land, drug illegal in state otherwise--DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews Insights
Recreational marijuana sales begin on North Carolina tribal land, drug illegal in state otherwise
View Date:2025-01-19 22:10:09
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians began selling marijuana and cannabis products to any adult 21 or over starting Saturday at its tribe-owned dispensary in North Carolina, where possession or use of the drug is otherwise illegal.
A post on the Facebook page of Great Smoky Cannabis Co., located on the Eastern Band of Cherokee’s western tribal lands, called the day “history in the making” with a video showing a line of people waiting outside the shop shortly before sales began at 10 a.m.
The outlet already started July 4 to sell in-store or drive-thru products for recreational use to adults enrolled in the tribe or any other federally recognized tribe. It had opened its doors in April initially for adult medical marijuana purchases.
Marijuana possession or use is otherwise illegal in North Carolina, but the tribe can pass rules related to cannabis as a sovereign nation. Of North Carolina and its surrounding states, only Virginia allows for the legal recreational use of marijuana statewide.
Tribal members voted in a referendum last September backing adult recreational use on their reservation and telling the tribal council to develop legislation to regulate such a market. Those details were hammered out by the council, approving language in June that effectively decriminalized cannabis on Eastern Band land called the Qualla Boundary.
The move was not without its opponents. Shortly before the referendum, Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards introduced legislation that would have removed federal highway funding from tribes and states that have legalized marijuana — a bill that ultimately died.
The Great Smoky Cannabis marijuana sales center, located near the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, is predicted to be more of a revenue-generator for the 14,000-member tribe as its customer base is expanded.
veryGood! (515)
Related
- Trump breaks GOP losing streak in nation’s largest majority-Arab city with a pivotal final week
- More women had their tubes tied after Roe v. Wade was overturned
- Madison LeCroy Says Your Makeup Will Last Until Dawn With This Setting Spray, Even if You Jump in a Lake
- Man accused of starting Line Wildfire in California arrested as crews battle blaze
- Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader Throws Shade At Her DWTS Partner Sasha Farber Amid Romance Rumors
- Real Housewives of Potomac's Karen Huger Breaks Silence on DUI Car Crash in Dramatic Season 9 Trailer
- Chappell Roan Declares Freaks Deserve Trophies at 2024 MTV VMAs
- Wisconsin Supreme Court agrees to hear case affecting future of state’s elections leader
- West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
- CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Wildfires plague U.S. West and Brazil, Yagi rampages in Vietnam
Ranking
- ‘COP Fatigue’: Experts Warn That Size and Spectacle of Global Climate Summit Is Hindering Progress
- Man charged with drugging, raping women he met through ‘sugar daddy’ website
- Chappell Roan Steals the Show With 2024 MTV VMAs Performance Amid Backlash for Canceling Concerts
- Tyreek Hill police incident: What happened during traffic stop according to body cam
- FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
- Minnesota man sentenced to 30 years for shooting death of transgender woman
- Linkin Park's new singer Emily Armstrong explodes in Los Angeles concert tour kickoff
- ‘Weather Whiplash’ Helped Drive This Year’s California Wildfires
Recommendation
-
Shawn Mendes Confesses He and Camila Cabello Are No Longer the Closest
-
Lilly Pulitzer Sunshine Sale Extended for 1 More Day With 70% Off Deals
-
Auburn QB Payton Thorne says bettors asked him for money on Venmo after loss
-
A Power Plant Expansion Tied to Bitcoin Mining Faces Backlash From Conservative Texans
-
New York nursing home operator accused of neglect settles with state for $45M
-
James McAvoy's positively toxic 'Speak No Evil' villain was 'a tricky gift'
-
North Carolina’s public universities cut 59 positions as part of a massive DEI overhaul this summer
-
Margot Robbie makes rare public appearance amid pregnancy reports: See the photos