North Carolina
Is marijuana legal in North Carolina? Cherokee? What to know on 420
The future of marijuana legalization
Here’s what you need to know about the future of marijuana legalization in the United States, from its racist beginnings to today.
It’s been a year since the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opened a cannabis dispensary on tribal land.
With April 20 rolling in again, here’s what to know about the 420 “holiday” celebrating marijuana, the Great Smoky Cannabis Co., marijuana’s legal status in North Carolina and more.
Is weed legal in North Carolina?
Marijuana is not legal in N.C. It is decriminalized, however, meaning possession of small amounts intended for personal use rather than illegal sales will generally mean punishments of civil or local infractions rather than state crimes.
Industrial hemp – marijuana with no THC – is legal in NC. Additionally, a popular loophole in hemp legislation has made it possible to get legally stoned. It is illegal to grow cannabis plants with more than a 0.3% concentration of delta-9 THC. Delta-8 THC, however, is not mentioned in the legislation.
Delta-8 is one of over 100 cannabinoids produced by cannabis plants, and while it is usually not found in high amounts, many N.C. hemp businesses have begun extracting the compound from plants or converting other compounds like CBD into delta-8. If you’ve seen weed sold at gas stations, tobacco stores or anywhere else, it’s likely psychoactive “delta-8” or a similar compound.
It’s worth mentioning that, while delta-8 causes a “high,” the FDA has not evaluated or approved it as safe for consumption, meaning that delta-8 products are not regulated by the FDA and could therefore be harmful to your health.
Is marijuana legal in Cherokee, NC?
The EBCI voted in 2021 to legalize the sale of medical marijuana within its tribal territory known as the Qualla Boundary. Cherokee is a sovereign nation that has its own elections, laws, government and institutions that are self-governed and autonomous. That’s why it can make legal the sale of marijuana despite being within North Carolina.
The Great Smoky Cannabis Co. opened on April 20, 2014 and was the EBCI’s first dispensary. At first, it sold cannabis products to people with a medical marijuana card. It later branched out to recreation marijuana, and now visitors 21 and older can shop there.
Note that it remains illegal to take marijuana off the Qualla Boundary.
What does 420 mean?
There are plenty of stories out there about exactly why the number 420 (and date April 20) are associated with marijuana. While there’s no definitive answer to its original significance, one of the most popular theories ties the number and date to a group of Californian teenagers.
According to the lore, a group of high schoolers attending Northern California’s San Rafael High School in the early 1970s would regularly gather at 4:20 p.m. to smoke pot.
April 20 is regarded by many cannabis enthusiasts as not only a day to appreciate the plant, but a rallying date for the nationwide legalization of marijuana.
What states was marijuana legal as of 2024?
Here’s a list of states that have legalized recreational cannabis, plus the years that they each made it legal.
- Ohio: 2023
- Minnesota: 2023
- Delaware: 2023
- Rhode Island: 2022
- Maryland: 2022
- Missouri: 2022
- Connecticut: 2021
- New Mexico: 2021
- New York: 2021
- Virginia: 2021
- Arizona: 2020
- Montana: 2020
- New Jersey: 2020
- Vermont: 2020
- Illinois: 2019
- Michigan: 2018
- California: 2016
- Maine: 2016
- Massachusetts: 2016
- Nevada: 2016
- District of Columbia: 2014
- Alaska: 2014
- Oregon: 2014
- Colorado: 2012
- Washington: 2012
Additionally, the following states have legalized medical marijuana:
- Mississippi: 2022
- Alabama: 2021
- South Dakota: 2020
- Missouri: 2018
- Oklahoma: 2018
- Utah: 2018
- Iowa: 2017
- West Virginia: 2017
- Arkansas: 2016
- Florida: 2016
- North Dakota: 2016
- Ohio: 2016
- Pennsylvania: 2016
- Georgia: 2015
- Louisiana: 2015
- Minnesota: 2014
- Maryland: 2013
- New Hampshire: 2013
- Delaware: 2011
- Rhode Island: 2006
- Hawaii: 2000
Contributing: Orlando Mayorquin and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
A 42-year-old North Carolina man on Tuesday was extradited to Pennsylvania after state police said he stole more than $100,000 from ATMs in Snyder and Union counties.
Between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, Antoni J. Garcia-Cordoba, of Raleigh, North Carolina, stole from four ATMs at Central Penn Bank and Trust locations, state police said.
In a five-hour span, Garcia-Cordoba took $43,000 from three separate ATMs in Snyder and Union counties, according to a police report. On Oct. 1, he stole an additional $58,000 from an ATM in Titusville, bringing the total amount stolen to $101,000.
Garcia-Cordoba is charged with two counts of corrupt organizations – employee, a first-degree felony, and two counts of theft by unlawful taking, a third-degree felony.
After being in custody at a jail in Boone County, Missouri, Garcia-Cordoba was extradited to Union County on Tuesday.
He is being held in the Union County Prison after being unable to post $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026.
SALISBURY, N.C. — Eleven firefighters and two other people were injured in a house fire explosion in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, officials said.
Salisbury Fire Chief Bob Parnell said firefighters did not have life-threatening injuries but were getting treated for contusions, concussions and smoke inhalation following the fire Monday evening. Two other people were taken to the hospital, but Parnell said he didn’t know their conditions and couldn’t confirm whether they were in the house at the time of the fire.
The Salisbury Fire Department responded to the single-family home around 5 p.m. and found it engulfed in flames.
Eleven of the 22 firefighters at the scene went inside the house to search for occupants and “get water on that fire,” which preceded the explosion, Panell said at a news conference.
“It was enough force that the outside walls blew out, the roof came up and went back down,” Parnell said.
An investigation of the fire and explosion is continuing.
North Carolina
Harrison Bertos scores in OT to help Washington beat N.C. State 3-2 and win first Men’s College Cup
CARY, N.C. (AP) — Harrison Bertos scored 1:54 into overtime after Washington blew a two-goal lead in the second half, and the Huskies beat North Carolina State 3-2 to win the Men’s College Cup at First Horizon Stadium on Monday night.
It was the first national championship for unseeded Washington (16-6-2), who became the first team to win six road matches in the tournament — beating six seeded teams along the way under the guidance of coach Jamie Clark. The Huskies won in their second trip to the final after losing 2-0 to Clemson in 2021.
No. 15 seed N.C. State (16-3-4) made the final for the first time behind coach Marc Hubbard. The Wolfpack were aiming for the school’s first national championship since Jim Valvano led the men’s basketball team to the title in 1983.
Zach Ramsey scored unassisted with 1:12 remaining in the first half and Washington took a 1-0 lead into the break. It was only the second time this season that N.C. State trailed at halftime.
Ramsey scored into an empty net after Wolfpack goalkeeper Logan Erb couldn’t corral the ball at the top of the box. It was Ramsey’s second goal of the tournament.
Richie Aman sent a cross to the center of the goal and Joe Dale knocked it in for a 2-0 lead in the 62nd minute.
Donavan Phillip answered in the 66th, scoring with an assist from Nikola Markovic to cut it to 2-1 with his fourth goal of the tournament. The Wolfpack entered 11-0-1 when Phillip scores.
Taig Healy scored the equalizer with 3:28 remaining with assists from Justin Mclean and Calem Tommy.
Egor Akulov had an assist on Bertos’ winner.
Huskies keeper Jadon Bowton, the only remaining player from the 2021 squad, had five saves.
Erb saved six shots for N.C. State, which was the last school to concede a goal this season.
The temperature was 28 degrees when the match between two teams that had never faced each other began.
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