GOP Congressman's 'Stop Pot Act' Seeks To Cut Fed Funding To States & Tribes Legalizing Cannabis: Guess Who He's Targeting

As the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina prepare to vote on legalizing adult-use cannabis, U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R) is threatening to defund the tribe — whether the measure passes or not. The tribe's Principal Chief Richard Sneed is calling the Republican congressman’s move “a major political blunder.”

What Happened

Late Friday, Edwards introduced what he’s calling the Stop Pot Act - a bill that calls for withholding 10% of federal highway funds from areas that violate federal law under the Controlled Substances Act, which prohibits recreational marijuana and classifies it as a Schedule I drug. Although, this week the HHS called on the DEA to undertake the process of removing cannabis from that classification.

In August 2021, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Council voted to allow the cultivation, sale and usage of medical marijuana on its lands in North Carolina.

Edwards warned the ECBI, whom he call his friends, in a mid-August letter published in Cherokee One Feather that his legislation would defund governments that ignore federal law regarding cannabis sales and use.

Drug Tourism?

Edwards wrote that “people from all over the state and the surrounding areas will be driving to Cherokee and likely the EBCI’s other non-contiguous tribal lands to buy it, light up and party….It also means many would be leaving the reservation and hitting the road high.” 

Then, in a press statement on Friday, Edwards laid out the details of his Stop Pot Act.

“The laws of any government should not infringe on the overall laws of our nation, and federal funds should not be awarded to jurisdictions that willfully ignore federal law,” said Edwards. “During a time when our communities are seeing unprecedented crime, drug addiction, and mental illness, the Stop Pot Act will help prevent even greater access to drugs and ease the strain placed on our local law enforcement and mental health professionals who are already stretched thin.”

The ECBI, a sovereign self-governed nation and federally recognized tribe intends to vote on Sept. 7 on whether to legalize adult-use marijuana on tribal lands in North Carolina. If the measure passes, the tribe’s 57,000-acre Qualla Boundary in the western part of the state would become the only place in North Carolina where people can legally buy and consume cannabis, reported local ABC affiliate WLOS.