Cherokee Tribe Votes To Legalize Marijuana In North Carolina Despite GOP Congressman's Threats

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in North Carolina have said yes to recreational cannabis in a Thursday referendum, making the reservation the only place in the state to legalize adult-use cannabis.

The results of the Sept. 7 referendum posted by the tribe's Board of Elections showed that the majority of EBCI voters want marijuana policy change, reported The Asheville Citizen-Times.  Marijuana is still illegal statewide for most purposes, even though lawmakers earlier introduced bills to legalize the plant.

While the recreational cannabis referendum isn't officially binding and requires subsequent legislation, the Tribal Council has already endorsed the policy change.

The referendum asked tribe members the following: “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?”

Sales would be open to all adults over 21, regardless of tribal membership.

GOP Threat Backfires?

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R), meanwhile, is threatening to defund the EBCI, a move the tribe's Principal Chief Richard Sneed called “a major political blunder.”

At the start of Labor Day weekend, Edwards introduced what he called the Stop Pot Act, which 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. However, last week's news that the HHS is calling on the DEA to undertake the process of removing cannabis from that classification.

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

Edwards threatened the ECBI 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.

The EBCI Council voted in August 2021 to allow the cultivation, sale and usage of medical marijuana on its lands.

A few months later, the tribe began growing medical marijuana, hoping to open its first medical marijuana store in 2023.

Marijuana rescheduling and nationwide legalization of cannabis will be one of many topics at the upcoming Benzinga event in Chicago.

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, the place where deals get done, is returning to Chicago this Sept. 27-28 for its 17th edition. Get your tickets today before prices increase and secure a spot at the epicenter of cannabis investment and branding.

Photo of EBCI members courtesy of Museum of Cherokee Indian