At an early October hearing, US Sen. Thom Tillis asked US Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (EBCI) over concerns that they are allegedly marketing marijuana to children and moving and selling it outside of their boundary in western North Carolina, a violation of federal law.
While he said he has no problem with them selling “pot,” he is concerned about the way it seems that they are preying on younger people, showing ads on a posterboard behind him, indicating “Halloween Specials,” “Pumpkin Spice,” and “Space Rockets” flavorings. Tillis also showed a picture of an app on which you can buy their product online.
“Now it’s illegal in North Carolina, in Tennessee, and Georgia, and South Carolina to buy pot, but apparently you can go order it on an app and then ride over there to the boundary and get it,” Tillis stated at a Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing on Tuesday. “I assume that they’re not delivering it outside of the boundary because I think that would be illegal.”
He told Bondi that he couldn’t find any legal way to get the marijuana that is grown on their land to their dispensary, which is in another non-contiguous area of their boundary.
“I’m just trying to figure out how the Eastern Band of the Cherokee is legally transporting what they’re growing at scale here, to what they’re advertising in Charlotte on the billboards as one of the country’s largest dispensaries, and apparently also offering to let you buy it online,” Tillis stated, asking Bondi if the Department of Justice would investigate his allegations.
Bondi replied that although she wasn’t familiar with the tribe’s establishment or their app, she would have her team look into both.
Carolina Journal reached out to the EBCI for comment but didn’t receive a response prior to publication of this article.
This is not the first time that Tillis has raised questions about the tribe selling marijuana from their land west of Asheville.
Tillis, budd questioned cherokee operation previously
Both he and Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, sent a letter in March 2024 to eight law enforcement officials — including then US Attorney Gen. Merrick Garland; Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran; Ashley Hornsby Welch, district attorney for NC’s 43rd Prosecutorial District, which includes Swain County; and NC State Bureau of Investigation Director Bob Schurmeier — regarding the planned April 2024 opening of the EBCI dispensary, in the tribe’s old bingo hall.
They had questions about how communities in the state would be kept safe, noting that the nation was facing an unprecedented drug crisis.
The letter noted that the EBCI and Qualla Enterprises LLC are growing the marijuana on a farm on Cooper’s Creek, which is off the Qualla Boundary (the tribe’s reservation). In order to sell it, both entities must transport the product from the farm to the reservation, which is separated by a state road in Swain County.
“This matter raises multiple questions on how North Carolina communities will be kept safe,” Budd and Tillis said. “Under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) (21 U.S.C. § 801 et seq.)), marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance. The CSA prohibits the manufacture, distribution, dispensation, and possession of marijuana. Federal anti-money laundering (AML) laws criminalize the handling of proceeds derived from various unlawful activities, including marijuana sales in violation of the CSA.”
The senators letter went on to say, “Under North Carolina General Statutes (G.S. 90-95, G.S. 90-113.22A, and G.S. 90-94), the possession of marijuana (including medical marijuana) and marijuana drug paraphernalia is still illegal under state law. With unclear guidance, it makes it difficult for state and local officials to uphold the rule of law in our communities.”
Neither senator reportedly received a response from anyone.
Bondi warns of illegal vapes targeting children
At the hearing on Tuesday, Tillis mentioned how illegal vapes may be transported in the country, and Bondi stated that this is an issue her department is trying to stay ahead of. They are being found all over the country in places like convenience stores and grocery stores. Parents, she said, should be aware of how their children are being targeted.
“One vape is the equivalent of, I believe, 20 cigarettes,” Bondi said. “The flavored ones are illegal, and they’re targeting children. Some of these vapes even have video games attached to them. That’s not targeting an adult; it’s targeting a child. And the majority are coming in from China, which is illegal. And they’re lacing them with THC.”
She said, although she hasn’t seen any deaths from them being laced with fentanyl, she believes that’s what is coming next in every state, and that her office is trying to stay ahead of this very serious problem.
Marshall bringing attention to thc gummies geared toward children
At the state level, North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said she wanted to bring attention to counterfeit edible THC gummies that are being sold across the state. With Halloween right around the corner, Marshall said this is the time of the year when they are spotted. Those producing them even copy well-known brands to appeal to children.
“This is an adult product, and there have been cases in Virginia where it was deadly,” she said at this month’s Council of State meeting. “We’ve had some cases here in North Carolina where kids were very ill from eating them. Middle schoolers in Fayetteville saying how they will cast out demons on the bus, and two of them were pretty sick by the time they got to school. All the cases here in North Carolina, fortunately, some adult realized that the children were sick and got them medical care, but this appeals to children, and we, around Halloween, are really trying to let people know about this.”
Marshall added that over the past three years, the state’s Anti-Counterfeit Trademark Task Force brought in more than $700,000 worth of that type of THC, as well as the seizure of 30 weapons, at least 1800 kilos of marijuana products, other illicit drugs, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.
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