North Carolina

NC’s 1st marijuana dispensary will open on 4/20 in Cherokee: What to know

Published

2 years ago

April 15, 2024

NC’s 1st marijuana dispensary will open on 4/20 in Cherokee: What to know

While other states have moved to legalize the drug, cannabis has remained illegal in North Carolina. Yet, the sale of medical marijuana might soon begin in a part of the state that is also a sovereign nation — the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Qualla Boundary.

The EBCI is planning to officially launch the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary, managed by Qualla Enterprises, on April 20. It will be the first marijuana dispensary to open in North Carolina after the EBCI approved the sale of medical marijuana in 2021.

But this isn’t a free-for-all, open-to-the public dispensary. Before you take the trip out to the Qualla Boundary in the Great Smoky Mountains — not to be confused with Great Smoky Mountains National Park — here’s what you need to know.

Who will be able to purchase cannabis?

On March 25, The Great Smoky Cannabis Co. announced that the dispensary would only be open for the sale of medical marijuana on April 20.

Only those with an EBCI medical cannabis patient card or an out-of-state approved medical marijuana card will be eligible to purchase at the dispensary when it opens, according to a March 25 press release from the dispensary.

Where is the dispensary?

Located on the Qualla Boundary, Cherokee is a sovereign nation that has its own elections, laws, government and institutions that are self-governed and autonomous.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are one of three federally recognized sovereign nations that were once part of the larger Cherokee Tribe prior to the Trail of Tears forced removal from their land in Western North Carolina, according to the ECBI website. The other two, Cherokee Nation and the United Kituwah Band, are located in Oklahoma.

Cherokee is not to be confused with Cherokee County, North Carolina, of which parts of the Qualla Boundary are located.

Great Smoky Cannabis Co. is located at 91 Bingo Loop Road in Cherokee.

The dispensary opens at 10 a.m. April 20, and features over 10,000 square feet of retail space, three drive-through windows and a glass shop.

How much will you be able to buy?

Great Smoky Mountain Cannabis recently announced that the sale of medical marijuana will have some purchase limits.

Customers can only buy up to 1 ounce of dry cannabis flower at the dispensary per day, according to a post on the Great Smoky Mountain Cannabis Instagram. The monthly limit is 6 ounces.

As for concentrated THC products, they limit the purchase of 2,500 milligrams of concentrated THC per day. The monthly limit is 10,000 milligrams.

Why not recreational?

The dispensary is on the land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, where medical marijuana was legalized in 2021.

A September referendum on recreational marijuana indicated support for the recreational sale of the drug, but the ECBI Tribal Council has yet to pass a resolution officially allowing the recreational sale and use of marijuana.

Another Tribal Council work session on a recreational marijuana resolution is planned for 9 a.m. April 18, Tribal Council Chairman Mike Parker announced during the April 4 Tribal Council meeting.

What about legalization in North Carolina?

The possession, sale and distribution of marijuana is currently illegal under current North Carolina general statutes.

However, some low-THC products have been legalized under a 2021 state law. The law allows the sale of products with no more than 0.3% of delta-9, allowing the sale of cannabinoids like THCa and CBD.

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said that she fully intends to “enforce state laws,” even as the dispensary opens. Welch is the chief criminal prosecutor in Prosecutorial District 43, which includes Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.

“The mission, duty and privilege of the 43rd Prosecutorial District is to enforce state laws. We do not pick certain laws to enforce and ignore others,” Welch said in a April 3 statement regarding the dispensary.

The Great Smoky Cannabis website also comes with a disclaimer: “Upon leaving North Carolina’s Qualla boundary, individuals are subject to state laws, including those regarding cannabis. We recommend that individuals familiarize themselves with their relevant state laws and regulations governing cannabis activities outside of the Qualla boundary.”

The opening of the dispensary has also drawn the ire of Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards — who is running for reelection — and the state’s two senators, Thom Tillis and Ted Budd. Edwards introduced the Stop Pot Act in September, which would penalize states and tribes with legalized marijuana, taking 10% of their federal highway funds.

The act failed to advance past a Sept. 5 referral to a subcommittee under the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Citizen Times reported March 20.

The act has received a critical response from Democratic State Rep. Caleb Rudow — who is running for congress — and EBCI Chief Michell Hicks, who advocated against Edwards’ efforts citing the medicinal qualities of marijuana and tribal sovereignty, the Citizen Times previously reported.

Which states have legalized cannabis?

After Ohio legalized the drug in late 2023, nearly half of the United States has now legalized the drug, as reported by USA TODAY. North Carolina is not one of them.

Here’s a list of states that have legalized recreational cannabis and when it was made official:

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

Contributing: Orlando Mayorquin and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY

More: As NC’s 1st cannabis dispensary opens, Cherokee Co. DA to ‘continue to enforce state law’

More: Asheville-area personal landing strip Airbnb? County board approves strip, limits rentals

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

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North Carolina

How to buy tickets for Duke basketball vs NC State in ACC contest

Published

9 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

How to buy tickets for Duke basketball vs NC State in ACC contest

It’s Duke basketball against N.C. State at the Lenovo Center on Monday, March 2.

The top-ranked Blue Devils (27-2, 15-1 ACC) and head coach Jon Scheyer are set to take on the Wolfpack (19-10, 10-6) and first year head coach Will Wade at 7 p.m. on ESPN in Raleigh.

Duke is coming off its sixth-straight win, a 77-51 rout over Virginia at Cameron Indoor Stadium. N.C. State, which has lost four of its last five, is coming off a 96-90 road loss in overtime to Notre Dame. The Blue Devils sit atop conference standings while the Wolfpack rank sixth in the league.

The Blue Devils own the all-time series against the Wolfpack 83-52 and sit at 27-27 on the road at the Lenovo Center. Duke has won six out of its last four contests against N.C. State.

Here’s how to buy tickets for Duke basketball vs. N.C. State:

Duke basketball tickets vs NC State

Duke has established a ticket waitlist program for men’s basketball games. Fans can register for the waitlist at GoDuke.com. Those on the waiting list may have the opportunity to purchase tickets, when and if tickets become available. Iron Dukes members have the first opportunity to purchase available tickets.

As for the secondary market, ticket prices for Duke’s game vs. N.C. State start at $72 on StubHub and go upwards of $712. On VividSeats, tickets range from $62-$1,156 while ranging from $63-$432 on Ticketmaster.

To see a full list of ticket prices, visit StubHub.

What time is Duke vs NC State?

Date: Monday, March 2

Time: 7 p.m. ET

The Duke basketball game vs. N.C. State game tips off at 7 p.m. ET from the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Where to watch Duke vs NC State

TV Channel: ESPN

Stream: Fubo

The Duke vs. N.C. State game will air on ESPN and can be streamed on Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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North Carolina

4 Best Quotes Into North Carolina-Virginia Tech Matchup

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

4 Best Quotes Into North Carolina-Virginia Tech Matchup

The North Carolina Tar Heels host the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday night at the Dean E. Smith Center in a monumental game for head coach Hubert Davis and his team. Here are quotes from this week that carry weight into this contest.

Seth Trimble’s Aggressive Mindset

Feb 23, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) dribbles as Louisville Cardinals guard Kobe Rodgers (11) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

“The thing that I loved about him was he was thinking attack. He wasn’t coming off looking to pass,” Davis said. “One of the things that I’ve told him is when you come off a ball screen, you’re 100% thinking score, and then let the defense dictate whether you make a pass or you go to the basket. And Seth’s ability to be able to get downhill, he was able to score, draw fouls, just a huge difference maker for us.”

“And I feel like now that Caleb [Wilson] has been out, he’s definitely been more of the go-to guy, and he’s had a lot more opportunities,” Henri Veesaar said. “I feel like he flipped a switch in the second half of Syracuse and that kind of just carried over, because he started being more aggressive, getting downhill, and that carried over into the next game.”

“The coaches have been on me,” Trimble said. “I know I said it; I’ve said this over and over again, but they’ve been on me just to go and just finish, you know, coming off the ball screen, go, look to score, you know, don’t look to pass. Don’t look to make a play. Go to score. And then things are going to happen from that. And then I’m going to be able to kick out, going to be able to hit Henri [Veesaar].”

Defensive Fortitude

Feb 23, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) shoots as North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) and forward Zayden High (1) defend in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

“We were ready – just being ready on the defensive end and making them score over us,” Veesaar said. “I feel like on the defensive end most of the time, most of the games, we control the way we play, and as long as we don’t make any [mistakes]…today we were talking, communicating the whole game. So that was really good.”

“It was a huge point to try and slow down Mikel [Brown Jr.] and [Ryan] Conwell,” Trimble said. “They’re two incredible guards, two of the best guards in the ACC. So, if you can shut them down, you can put yourself in a good position to win. Now, we didn’t necessarily shut them down, obviously, but efficiency wise, they didn’t have the best game, and it made it difficult. So, I think we did a good job.”

“[With] so many gifted guys that can score in many different areas, one of the things that we wanted to do is just make every catch, make every move, make every shot difficult,” Davis continued. “And I just felt like throughout the game, they got worn down and tired. And I think that’s why a lot of their threes hit front rim or air ball, because of the fatigue.”

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North Carolina

Disaster as fencing wire gets tangled in spinning car wash in North Carolina

Published

2 days ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Disaster as fencing wire gets tangled in spinning car wash in North Carolina

GOLDSBORO, N.C. — A rancher in North Carolina had a nightmare experience in a car wash recently, when wire fencing sitting in the bed of his pickup truck got entangled in the rotating brushes.

Kyle Corbett shared video of the aftermath on TikTok, writing, “Lesson today is don’t go in the car wash with high tensile wire in the bed of your truck.”

“I needed to put up more fence for my cattle, so I purchased this reel of high tensile wire the night before, and the next day I went up town to take care of some business at the bank,” Corbett said. “I decided to run through the car wash ‘real quick’ and didn’t think about that wire.”

“I never use that truck for any work. I went to the car wash and the guys checked my truck out for safety. I went through and that’s when all hell broke loose,” he said.

“It wrapped up half of the fence in just a matter of seconds and beat the hell out of that car behind me. It sounded like a war zone,” he added.

“This is not good…yeah that’s terrible,” he says in the footage as he’s filming the mess.

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