A tribe in North Carolina plans to open a medical marijuana superstore later this year, in what would be the first marijuana dispensary in the state.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians legalized medical marijuana on their tribal land in 2021, and now they plan to open the state’s first dispensary, although there are disputes over the proposed costs.
Currently the tribe is converting a giant bingo hall into a medical marijuana superstore that will serve anyone with a physician recommendation to use the plant for medical purposes. The store will be a roughly three-hour drive from Charlotte.
However, there’s been a hiccup in the plan as the original $50 million cost to reform the bingo hall and prop up the new store has ballooned, with contractors requesting an additional $64 million.
Richard Sneed, the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, said in a Facebook post that he vetoed the Tribal Council’s recent approval of the final $64 million for the project “because the original proposal said the entire project would be completed for $50 million.”
“The fact that this project’s original cost for an outdoor grow, an indoor grow and an indoor dispensary was $50m, and we are now being told it is $95m, demonstrates that there is an immediate need for a full accounting of the money that has been expended to date,” said Sneed.
Although Sneed vetoed the move, he is in support of both medical and recreational marijuana.
“The Council’s approval of a medical marijuana ordinance is a testament to the changing attitudes toward legal marijuana and a recognition of the growing body of evidence that supports cannabis as medicine, particularly for those with debilitating conditions like cancer and chronic pain,” Sneed said after the tribe voted to legalize medical marijuana.
Sneed says that he’s “troubled” by the “lack of accountability for the managing of the business side of the operation”, noting that the current projected cost is almost 100% over budget.
Sneed plans to launch a probe of the project to determine how costs got so inflated. Despite this, Sneed says that the store is still expected to open this year.
Legislation to legalize medical marijuana in all of North Carolina was recently passed by the House of Representatives and is currently awaiting consideration in the Senate.
