Tomorrow, on 4/20, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (ECBI) will open their marijuana superstore on tribal land, the first in North Carolina history.
Although the marijuana store will at first be available just to medical marijuana patients, the Great Smoky Cannabis Company says it will accept any valid medical marijuana card, even those from outside the state. The tribe also has an easy process setup so that any North Carolina resident (not just tribal members) with one of 18 medical conditions (listed at the bottom of this article) can quickly become a registered patient with the tribe, allowing them to access the store.
The Great Smoky Cannabis Company, house at the previous home of a bingo hall that cost over $50 million to refurbish, is located near Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort roughly three hours from Charlotte and 4.5 hours from Raleigh.
In September members of the EBCI voted overwhelmingly in favor of a measure to legalize recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older. Tribal leaders say they have not had time to implement this law and begin recreational sales, noting that “this will be happening soon”.
The referendum approved by voters asked “Do you support legalizing the possession and use of cannabis for persons who are at least twenty-one (21) years old, and require the EBCI Tribal Council to develop legislation to regulate the market?” The measure passed with 70% support.
According to Lee Griffin, human resources director for the tribe’s cannabis subsidiary Qualla Enterprises LLC, the store will employ at least 350 people once fully up and running.
The tribe’s reservation consists of nearly 57,000 acres covering five counties; Cherokee, Graham, Jackson, Macon, and Swain Counties.
Below is the list of qualifying medical conditions for the EBCI’s medical marijuana program:
- Acquired immune deficiency syndrome;
- An anxiety disorder;
- An autism spectrum disorder;
- An autoimmune disorder;
- Anorexia nervosa;
- Cancer;
- Dependence upon or addiction to opioids;
- Glaucoma;
- A medical condition or treatment for a medical condition that produces, for a specific patient, one or more of the following:
- Cachexia;
- Muscle spasms, including, without limitation, spasms caused by multiple sclerosis;
- Seizures, including, without limitation, seizures caused by epilepsy;
- Nausea; or
- Severe or chronic pain;
- A medical condition related to the human immunodeficiency virus;
- Post-traumatic stress disorder;
- Crohn’s disease;
- Sickle cell anemia;
- Amyotrophic lateral syndrome;
- Parkinson’s disease;
- A condition resulting in the patient receiving Hospice care;
- A terminal illness when the patient’s remaining life expectancy is less than six months.
You can find the EBCI’s application process to become a medical marijuana patient by clicking here.
