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’

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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

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

Published

11 hours 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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North Carolina

NC Made: Durham’s Old Hillside Bourbon toasts Black heritage one bottle at a time

Published

23 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

NC Made: Durham’s Old Hillside Bourbon toasts Black heritage one bottle at a time

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Bourbon is more than a business for Jesse Carpenter — it’s a tribute to the city that shaped him.

“This is Durham. This is where I’m from. This is where I grew up,” said Carpenter, Chief Product Officer of Old Hillside Bourbon.

The company he co-founded with childhood friends takes its name and identity from one of Durham’s most iconic institutions-Hillside High School, one of the oldest historically Black high schools in the nation.

“We graduated Class of 1993 from Hillside High School,” Carpenter said. “Concord and Lawson Street. It’s the old Hillside.”

The idea took root during the pandemic when Carpenter proposed starting a bourbon company to those same friends.

“I had an idea to start a bourbon company, and they were on board,” he said. “Friends from 30 years ago, and now we’re doing this business together. It’s awesome.”

From 300 Cases to 10,000

What began as a pandemic-era idea has evolved into a rapidly growing business.

In its inaugural year, Old Hillside distributed 300 cases; this year, the company anticipates 10,000. The bourbon also earned Best in Show at the 2023 TAG Global Spirits Awards, impressing even the most discerning craft bourbon critics.

“Let me focus on the aroma — layers of oak, vanilla,” one reviewer commented on the Bourbon Banter YouTube channel, concluding with, “I think it’s a great taste.”

SEE MORE NC MADE STORIES

A Bottle Full of Stories

Beyond its flavor, Old Hillside stands out for the history embedded in its label. Each vintage pays homage to a chapter of Black American history that might otherwise remain overlooked.

The inaugural bottle features a photo of the old Hillside High building, symbolizing the school’s deep community ties. A second flavor pays tribute to the African American jockeys who dominated the Kentucky Derby before the Jim Crow era effectively pushed them out of the sport. The company’s latest release honors the Harlem Hellfighters, the renowned all-Black military unit that served with distinction in World War I.

It’s a storytelling approach that Carpenter and his team are actively working to spread across North Carolina. Brand ambassadors Corey Carpenter and Amire Schealey are on the front lines of that effort.

“More bars and restaurants — tackling different markets,” said Corey Carpenter. Schealey added that the team is “setting up tastings at different ABC boards to build up our brand and presence around the state of North Carolina.”

Like many acclaimed bourbons, Old Hillside is distilled and bottled in Kentucky. But its founders are quick to point out where its true spirit comes from.

“Old Hillside is a lifestyle,” Jesse Carpenter said. “Not just a school-friendship and camaraderie. That’s what we do.”

SEE ALSO | NC Made: Raleigh jewelry brand AnnaBanana grows from UNC dorm room to statewide success

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North Carolina

State and local leaders discuss ‘child-care crisis’ in NC

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

State and local leaders discuss ‘child-care crisis’ in NC

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — State and local leaders gathered in Durham on Thursday to discuss how they say North Carolina’s ‘child-care crisis’ is taking a toll on our communities.

“We’re demanding recognition,” former childcare provider DeeDee Fields said. “We want fair compensation. We want health protections and a retirement pathway for the workforce that makes all the work possible.”

Childcare is one of the biggest expenses North Carolinians face, with infant care more costly than in-state college tuition per year, according to data. Childcare for a four-year-old costs nearly $8,000 a year.

Since 2020, North Carolina has seen a record loss of licensed childcare programs. Durham County, for example, experienced a 14% drop.

“I think a lot of people are making these tough choices about what makes the most sense for their family,” Nylah Jimerson said.

Jimerson used to work as a nanny before she became a parent. She’s one of more than a quarter of parents in North Carolina who left the workforce to stay home to care for children.

As North Carolina is the only state without a new budget, childcare is top of mind for State Sen. Sophia Chitlik, who co-authored a package of bills that aims to better support the industry, including making childcare more affordable.

“The ‘Child Care Omnibus’ is part of a series of bills that have budget requirements and budget asks in them,” Chitlik said. “But we’re not going to know until we get a state budget. The most urgent and important thing, in addition to those subsidies, is raising the subsidy floor … so I hope that there is bipartisan consensus that would be worked out in a state budget.”

North Carolina could remain without a budget until the legislature is back in session in April.

“We have got to do something about childcare,” Sen. Natalie Murdock said. “We shouldn’t be in this position … we have to have a sustainable model and program because it’s about our children.”

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