CHEROKEE, N.C. — Recreational marijuana is now legal for Cherokee tribal members and other federally recognized tribe members in North Carolina.

Sales began on July 4th at Great Smoky Cannabis Company within the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ land. This is located near Asheville.

With about 14,000 members, the Eastern Band can pass rules permitting cannabis as a sovereign nation and federally recognized tribe.

While many in the region say they support recreational sales, they worry people will buy it and take it outside tribal land. Marijuana remains illegal in the state.

Republican U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd have raised concerns with federal and state law enforcement about whether drug laws will continue to be carried out in light of the dispensary.

A statewide medical marijuana bill has been considered in recent years by the North Carolina General Assembly.

WATCH | NC lawmakers consider legalizing medical marijuana

‘Change the trajectory’

Starting in April, medical marijuana can be purchased on Cherokee land in North Carolina.

Adults at least 21 years of age with a tribal medical cannabis patient card or an out-of-state approved medical marijuana card can purchase items at Great Smoky Cannabis Co.

Hundreds of people, many with approved medical patient cards to purchase items, celebrated the historic opening of the dispensary on April, or ‘420 Day’.

The ceremony marks the latest liberalization of marijuana rules by the tribe, which in 2021 decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana within its 89 square miles (231 square kilometers) of land in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The tribe also formed a medical marijuana system that included a tribe-created business to grow cannabis and sell it, reaping financial rewards for the tribal members and assisting those with medical conditions.

“This project will change the trajectory of their lives forever,” Forrest Parker, general manager for Qualla Enterprises, the tribal company that manages the dispensary, said during the opening ceremony. “It will be a conduit to generations of social, economic and spiritual growth, unlike anything that’s ever been witnessed.”

The dispensary could generate over $200 million in gross sales revenues in its first year if limited to medical patients, compared with $385 million if the product is available to all adult users, according to figures from Qualla Enterprises released before last year’s adult-use referendum.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Clayton native Kamryn Hollowell will represent North Carolina at the Miss America’s Teen pageant.  

“I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting it. I had been working hard for three years,” said Hollowell.   

Kamryn said she plans to spend the next year representing the state, but also advocating for a special cause.

“My community service initiative is Project Purple. I will be advocating for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients across North Carolina,” she said about her commitment to the cause.

It’s a mission that started for her at age nine before she started competing for Miss North Carolina’s Teen.

“I started it because my mom was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when I was very young,” said Hollowell, of Statesville.   

Kamryn says she has spent most of her life watching her mom fight through the pain of this condition. But she says it has been a learning experience to prepare her for this moment to shine a bigger spotlight on her mom’s condition and bring about change for others experiencing it.

“You may not always see the bigger picture but always continue to grow. Listen to the people around you and take in the words of advice. I have been doing that for years, and it paid off for me,” she said.  

In addition to the crown, Kamryn earned a $7,500 scholarship and additional scholarships for preliminary evening gown honor and community service impact.   

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — As temperatures soared to 102 degrees in the Triangle Saturday afternoon, North Carolina Trooper E.M. Haynes was already dealing with his third crash of the day along a troublesome stretch of Interstate 40 in Orange County.

Crews are adding a lane in each direction along nearly 11.5 miles of I-40 in Orange County from the Durham County line to the Interstate 85 split.

As construction continues in its third year, wrecks along the zone are skyrocketing, Haynes said.

Vehicle crashes in the stretch are up 200 percent from last year, Haynes said Saturday after working a three-car crash at one of the “bottlenecks” along the construction zone.

In Saturday’s wreck around 2 p.m., the driver of a Lexus SUV crashed into completely stopped westbound traffic, sending two people to the hospital, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The driver of the Lexus was driving with his family of five in the SUV at the time — and Haynes suspected “distracted driving” was to blame in the crash near Erwin road.

The Saturday wreck was somewhat typical of the crashes Haynes said he sees.

“It bottled necks right there,” Haynes said about the area of I-40. “We see a lot of people coming from different states — they don’t know the bottleneck is there. Many local people are beginning to realize it.”

Two wrecks earlier in the day were in the eastbound lanes of the construction zone — where the project is expected to continue into 2025, according to Haynes and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The earlier crashes Saturday weren’t as serious, but still stopped traffic along the construction zone, which is lined with concrete barriers and various lane shifts.

With the limited lane areas, wrecks are harder to clear and move traffic past, leading to major back-ups. Some drivers have resorted to using two-lane roads near I-40 such as N.C. 86, Whitfield Road and Mount Moriah Road.

Some motorists are even taking I-85 and continuing through Durham on interstate-style highways to eventually rejoin I-40.

The massive widening project also includes re-working various interchanges along I-40, the NCDOT said.

Parts of I-40 that are being widened have more than 80,000 vehicles per day, according to 2019 numbers from the NCDOT.

Before the widening project began, the NCDOT said special efforts would be taken to deal with crashes — including extra traffic cameras and message boards for drivers about wrecks. However, it’s unclear if some of the plans are working or being fully implemented.

According to the NCDOT: “the department will deploy Incident Management Assistance Patrol (IMAP) and towing resources in the vicinity of the Interstate to quickly respond and remove wrecked, abandoned or disabled vehicles. These initiatives will ultimately reduce congestion and delays in the work zone.”

The widening project is expected to be completed in late 2025.