The Tribal Council for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), based in North Carolina, last week voted to legalize adult-use cannabis sales, Smoky Mountain News reports. The approval comes about nine months after EBCI members voted to pass the reforms.
The Council also passed an amendment to allow enrolled tribe members with medical cannabis cards to cultivate up to four plants at home as long as no minor children are living in the home where the cannabis is grown.
The tribe’s first medical cannabis dispensary opened last April. North Carolina has not legalized cannabis for any purpose but non-tribal members who are over 21-years-old and residents of the state can apply to the EBCI Cannabis Control Board to obtain a medical cannabis card.
Adult-use sales are not expected to begin right away. During the May 30 work session, EBCI Attorney General Mike McConnell said the tribal dispensary, Great Smoky Cannabis Company operated by Qualla Enterprises, is still at least two to three months away to have the capacity to serve adult-use customers. In an interview with the Citizen-Times, Qualla Enterprises General Manager Forrest Parker estimated the regional adult-use market could reach about 80,000 pounds of cannabis.
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