High hopes: Cherokee tribe says ‘yes’ to exploring legal recreational marijuana use

By CNN Newsource

Published September 8, 2023 6:38 AM

By Denise Pridgen

CHEROKEE, North Carolina (WLOS) — The polls on the Qualla Boundary have closed and members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

The unofficial 2,464 to 1,057 vote Thursday does not directly legalize marijuana use for anyone 21 and older, but it would allow tribal leaders to begin considering such an idea.

In 2021, the tribe decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana within the Eastern Band’s 57,000-acre Qualla Boundary.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians already has a medical marijuana program. The council approved medical cannabis two years ago and recently began enrolling tribal members, as well as North Carolina residents, in the program.

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