The Great Smoky Cannabis Company in Cherokee, North Carolina will celebrate six months of serving all adults 21 and older on March 7. The store remains the only location in all of North Carolina where cannabis can be legally purchased.
Operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), the store first opened its doors to everyone 21 and older, regardless of tribal or medical status, on September 7. Despite the state’s prohibition on marijuana, EBCI’s sovereign status allows the tribe to regulate sales on its land. T
he store, located at a former bingo hall which cost over $50 million to renovate, offers a range of products, including flower, edibles, and concentrates, all sourced from the tribe’s cultivation facility.
Concerns about law enforcement interference have not materialized, as no marijuana possession arrests have been linked to purchases from the store, and police checkpoints have not been set up outside tribal land as some had speculated.
The EBCI first moved to legalize marijuana in 2021, approving medical marijuana for tribal members and establishing the tribe’s own regulatory system. In April 2023, the tribe took a historic step by voting to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older, regardless of tribal affiliation. Initially, sales were limited to enrolled members of the tribe, but on September 7, 2024, the Great Smoky Cannabis Company fully opened its doors to all adults, making it the first and only location in North Carolina where recreational marijuana can be legally purchased.
The success of EBCI’s legalization effort may have influenced U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), who once opposed marijuana reform but now says the federal government should legalize and regulate marijuana like alcohol and tobacco.
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