Filter report
An Indigenous American tribe is fighting for its right to sell cannabis, after voting in favor of legalization last fall. Despite the tribe being entitled to self-government under United States law, two federal lawmakers are attacking its plan. The situation spotlights injustices around both the drug war and Indigenous rights.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is located in the western region of North Carolina. In September 2023, the tribe voted to legalize cannabis for adult use on its reservation lands, which include the Qualla Boundary land trust and other smaller territories. On February 28, the tribe announced that it plans to launch cannabis sales on 4/20.
But that caught the eye of North Carolina’s two Republican Senators, Tom Thillis and Ted Budd. They wrote a letter on March 1, addressed to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the departments of treasury and interior, state and local law enforcement, and the National Indian Gaming Commission.
“As our nation is facing an unprecedented drug crisis that is harming our communities, it is vital to learn what measures your departments and agencies are taking to uphold current federal and state laws,” they wrote.
They claimed that the Band has a cannabis cultivation facility outside of its lands, does not have a testing lab for products, and will sell to both tribal members and other citizens. They also implied that youth access would be a concern.
“This matter raises multiple questions on how North Carolina communities will be kept safe,” the Senators wrote, citing federal prohibition and banking laws, as well and state laws in North Carolina and neighboring Tennessee that criminalize cannabis. “With unclear guidance, it makes it difficult for state and local officials to uphold the rule of law in our communities.”
Their implications that cannabis sales to adults might be unsafe in the context of the overdose crisis, or boost youth access, are contradicted by the reality of legalization in many states.
“To question a sovereign nation is disappointing to see at this juncture.”
Representatives of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians did not respond to Filter‘s request for comment by publication time, but advocates focused on cannabis and Indigenous sovereignty reject the senators’ framing of the ECBI plan.
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Indigenous Tribe’s Plan to Sell Cannabis Sparks Sovereignty Battle
