EBCI approves first medical cannabis cards
Added on 20 October 2023
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is continuing its path toward cannabis accessibility, and as of last week the tribe officially issued its first medical cannabis cards.
According to EBCI Cannabis Control Board (CCB) executive director, Neil Denman, a Cherokee Police Commission monthly meeting was held on Oct. 12. In a presentation featuring Denman and his colleague, Kym Parker, they stated that the first medical cannabis card was issued on that day, and many more will follow in the coming weeks. A total of 1,005 medical cannabis card applications were submitted, and so far 817 were approved. Only 129 are labeled as incomplete, due to missing assets such as a photo ID, and 59 were denied because of “lack of a qualifying ailment.”
The EBCI live on a 57,000-acre reservation called the Qualla Boundary. The tribe’s website states that they have 14,000 registered tribe members, but the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the reservation is home to 9,600 people, 77% of whom are of Indian descent, and 23% non-Indian. The boundary is also home to two casinos that the tribe manages.
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