CHEROKEE – Hundreds of whooping and hollering medical marijuana card-holders filtered into the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. here at 10 a.m. April 20, for the historic opening of the 10,000-square-foot dispensary selling products such as cannabis tinctures, gummies and other marijuana products.
The opening of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ dispensary marks the first time marijuana can legally be purchased in North Carolina. The grand opening was held on 4/20 — also known as the “national cannabis holiday.”
A road sign heading west on U.S. 19 into Cherokee, just before the dispensary, read: “420. Expect delays.”
Myrtle Driver prepares to cut the ribbon during the Eastern Band of Cherokee Great Smoky Cannabis Co. grand opening. April 20, 2024.
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch, the top prosecutor for the counties surrounding tribal land, said her office will continue to enforce North Carolina law, which prohibits the cultivation, distribution and possession of marijuana.
While the Citizen Times was reporting from Cherokee for about five hours on April 20, a reporter did not witness the presence of any law enforcement.
The EBCI land — known as the Qualla Boundary — is a sovereign nation that has its own elections, laws, government and institutions that are self-governed and autonomous.
