By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – After years of discussions and almost 10 months after a referendum passed on the issue, Cherokee has started sales of adult-use cannabis. The Great Smoky Cannabis Co., operated by Qualla Enterprises, LLC, an entity of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, opened for adult-use sales on Wednesday, July 4.
At this time, sales are only open for EBCI tribal members and members of other federally recognized tribes.
The Great Smoky Cannabis Co., operated by Qualla Enterprises, LLC, opened for adult-use cannabis sales to members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and members of other federally recognized tribes on the morning of Thursday, July 4. Here, Michelle Tahquette, left, goes over the order for Carolyn West, an EBCI tribal member and Qualla Enterprises, LLC board chairperson, marking the first legal sale of adult-use cannabis in the state of North Carolina. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
Forrest Parker, Qualla Enterprises, LLC general manager, told the One Feather on Thursday morning, “I don’t think any of us thought that cannabis would be something that united people the way that it has because often we see the turmoil side of things or the big, complicated matters that are really important and challenging. It takes a lot of work to get them right. I’m really, really proud. It’s so humbling to be here.
“I’m just really basking in how special this is. Looking at all these faces from the communities and what people say and what they talk about and all the hard work that’s gone in, the leadership and their support. The thing about discussing something at such a high level is that there’s a lot of really positive things that come from that. I think at this point there still needs to be a lot of education. We need to really work hard to make sure we’re engaging with the community so they understand how to get the most out of this, in whatever way that is. At Qualla, we very much feel like that’s our duty.”
Parker added, “We are here to benefit the people of the Eastern Band. But, we’ve also gotten to fall under a little bit of that community engagement role on behalf of cannabis and that’s really special to the people that work here. It gives them an opportunity to give back even deeper in the community. So, that’s what this is about.”
The One Feather inquired with Qualla Enterprises, LLC officials as to the reasoning for opening at this juncture for tribal members only. They responded with the following statement, “We have stated to Council that we would need upwards of 60 to 70 days from ratification to open in full adult-use sales. The main reason for this is to ramp up production and streamline procedures to improve output and efficiency to handle a full adult-use market. We are so appreciative of the community support we receive so opening adult-use early to tribal members is an honor to us, as well as it is a way to test our procedures for improvement for a larger market than we have been serving in medical only and building our production up to be able to meet the demand for full adult-use.”
In addition to the Great Smoky Cannabis Co., which opened on April 20 for medical cannabis sales only, Qualla Enterprises, LLC also operates a cannabis farm in Tsisqwohi (Birdtown) which supplies the dispensary.
While the discussions surrounding cannabis have been going on for years, most of the decisions have been made within the past year.
EBCI voters approved a referendum during the 2023 General Election on Sept. 7 which asked, “Do you support legalizing the possession of 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 referendum passed 2,464 (yes) to 1,057 (no).
Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) passed Ord. No. 63 (2024) during its regular session on June 6, 2024 legalizing adult-use cannabis on EBCI lands. Nine Dinilawigi representatives voted to pass, Aniwodihi (Painttown) Rep. Dike Sneed and Vice Chairman David Wolfe voted not to pass, and Tutiyi (Snowbird) – Tsalagi Gadugi (Cherokee Co.) Rep. Adam Wachacha was absent.
Two floor amendments were added to Ord. No. 63 that day and passed along with the ordinance. One floor amendment dealt with home grow of cannabis plants and the other banned individually-owned hemp/cannabis stores on the tribal trust lands of the EBCI.
Following a protest by Robert Mark “Bertie” Saunooke, an EBCI tribal member and owner of two hemp/CBD stores in Cherokee, Dinilawigi reversed its previous decision during a hearing on the protest on June 27, 2024 and both floor amendments were removed from the ordinance.
Ord. No. 63 (2024), authorizing adult-use cannabis on the lands of the EBCI was approved as amended on June 27, 2024 and signed into law by Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks the same day.
