{"id":68280,"date":"2023-09-06T10:53:27","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T18:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/09\/06\/congressmans-interference-in-cherokee-tribes-marijuana-legalization-vote-could-help-referendum-pass-chief-says\/"},"modified":"2023-09-06T19:46:13","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T03:46:13","slug":"congressmans-interference-in-cherokee-tribes-marijuana-legalization-vote-could-help-referendum-pass-chief-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/09\/06\/congressmans-interference-in-cherokee-tribes-marijuana-legalization-vote-could-help-referendum-pass-chief-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Congressman\u2019s Interference In Cherokee Tribe\u2019s Marijuana Legalization Vote Could Help Referendum Pass, Chief Says"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

The head of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), which is set to vote on a referendum to legalize cannabis for adults<\/a> on Thursday, says he believes efforts by an anti-marijuana North Carolina GOP congressman to insert himself into the tribe\u2019s internal affairs could ultimately cause more members to support of the measure.<\/p>\n

In an interview this week with Marijuana Moment, EBCI Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed said it was a \u201cbig misstep\u201d for U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) to run an op-ed in the tribal news publication, Cherokee One Feather, in which the congressman said legalization on the tribal land \u201cwould be irresponsible, and I intend to stop it<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHim putting the op-ed in the paper probably fuels more people to vote for it,\u201d said Sneed, who, along with EBCI\u2019s vice chief and members of the tribal council, also faces an election this week. \u201cSo we\u2019ll see what happens come Thursday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week Edwards followed up on the threat by introducing in Congress the Stop Pot Act<\/a>, which would cut 10 percent in federal transportation funding from all tribal governments, as well as U.S. states, with legal recreational marijuana.<\/p>\n

The chief said he understands where Edwards is coming from with the Stop Pot Act, and he believes the freshman congressman has every right to introduce the bill\u2014in the United States. But meddling in EBCI\u2019s own vote on its sovereign land, he said, went too far.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst thing that a non-Indian elected official can do is tell a sovereign, federally-recognized Indian tribe how they ought to handle their business,\u201d he told Marijuana Moment. \u201cThat is a big misstep.\u201d<\/p>\n

The referendum would not immediately legalize marijuana, said Richard French, chair of EBCI\u2019s tribal council. But he said the council will follow voters\u2019 direction when deciding how to move forward. \u201cWe made the move to give it to the people, and if the people vote it down, then that\u2019s what we\u2019ll go with,\u201d French told<\/a> NBC News.<\/p>\n

As for where Sneed stands on the referendum, he says it\u2019s complicated. \u201cOn the one hand, I support adult use,\u201d he said. \u201cOn the other hand, I think we\u2019re putting the cart before the horse again.\u201d<\/p>\n

EBCI\u2019s tribal land, the Qualla Boundary, is already the only jurisdiction within North Carolina\u2019s borders where medical marijuana is legal. The Tribal Council passed regulations for the system<\/a> in 2021, and it opened registration to all North Carolina residents this past June. But so far, delays\u2014including around transportation, banking and lab testing\u2014mean that no actual sales have occurred despite the tribe having grown millions of dollars in product.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project is probably six months or more behind schedule,\u201d the chief said. \u201cThat\u2019s problematic for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fact that cannabis remains illegal in all forms in North Carolina is one reason for the delays. Part of EBCI\u2019s production procedure involves transporting medical marijuana along a short stretch of state-owned roadway, which Swain County officials have said presents a problem. \u201cI stated that until North Carolina changes the law, that it is still illegal to possess or transport marijuana on the highway,\u201d Sheriff Curtis Cochran told a local news outlet last month.<\/p>\n

Sneed told Marijuana Moment that many of the troubles could\u2019ve been avoided. \u201cThe issue I have with all of this, really, is with the vendor that we\u2019re engaged with, their lack of foresight for how they were going to get product from one piece of tribal land, across state land, and back onto to tribal land,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we had the production operation on contiguous tribal land, then you can just take the Sheriff Cochran issue off the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delays have also resulted from the lack of laboratory testing available for medical marijuana, which by law must be tested before it can be sold. \u201cIt\u2019s been six, seven months, maybe longer, to have a third-party lab established on site, which we approved,\u201d Sneed said, again pointing to the tribe\u2019s non-Native vendor. \u201cStill no lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s all this production happening and there\u2019s no testing happening,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd then there\u2019s all this product sitting around that\u2019s just, you know, degrading over time\u2026 You can\u2019t just leave product sitting around for six, eight, 10 months at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the state level in North Carolina, a Senate-passed medical marijuana bill stalled in the House this session<\/a>, the casualty of an informal rule that requires bills to have support from the majority of the chamber\u2019s Republican caucus in order to bring them to the floor. It\u2019s still possible the legislation could be taken up next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a policy change\u2014a major policy change here in the state\u2014and there\u2019s passion on both sides,\u201d House Majority Leader John Bell (R) said in July. \u201cWe have members of our caucus that are 100 percent supportive of it and we have other members that are 100 percent against it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sneed noted that many state lawmakers have expressed interest in EBCI\u2019s marijuana operation and have even toured the site, including the North Carolina House and Senate majority leaders as well as House representatives of both political parties. \u201cNorth Carolina has toyed with the idea of a medical bill for the last two sessions,\u201d he noted. \u201cWe thought it was going to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the public flap between EBCI and outside critics of the referendum, Sneed emphasized that cannabis is just one piece of the tribe\u2019s relationship with state and local officials. And from where he sits, it represents \u201cvery little\u201d of the whole.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it seems to be a big issue in the media, it\u2019s kind of a blip on the radar screen. You know, this doesn\u2019t come up that often in our discussions,\u201d he said, then added: \u201cMaybe it\u2019s the elephant in the room, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tribe has longstanding relationships with officials in surrounding jurisdictions, including Swain, Jackson and Haywood counties, Sneed continued. \u201cWe have mutual aid agreements with all the surrounding counties, and our service personnel work hand-in-hand with theirs regularly. We\u2019re all out here in Western North Carolina, so we have to work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sneed even complimented Rep. Edwards and Sheriff Cochran, saying he has good relationships with both officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still like Rep. Edwards. He\u2019s a good man. He\u2019s conservative, and I understand his position\u2014but I don\u2019t agree with it,\u201d he said. And he\u2019s known Cochran \u201cfor 25 years or more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI recognize that, as human beings, we\u2019re going to disagree from time to time on issues,\u201d Sneed said, \u201cbut that doesn\u2019t mean that the relationship is over. We still have to work together on other issues, and that\u2019s what I told Rep. Edwards and it\u2019s what I\u2019ve told Sheriff Cochran.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the federal Stop Pot Act, the chief said Rep. Edwards \u201ccan take whatever action he would like to take at the federal level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I can tell you that, in D.C. right now, a bill like that would go nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tribal governments in a handful of U.S. states have entered the marijuana business as more jurisdictions legalize. Notably, in Minnesota, where state lawmakers\u00a0passed an adult-use marijuana program earlier this year<\/a>, tribes are leading the way.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0White Earth Nation voted in July to authorize marijuana sales<\/a>\u00a0and has since opened an adult-use cannabis shop. And the Red Lake Nation, which also began sales in August, recently announced plans to launch a mobile marijuana retailer\u2014effectively\u00a0a cannabis \u201cfood truck\u201d that can travel and do business on tribal land<\/a>\u00a0throughout the state. Another tribe located within the state, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, is also\u00a0moving<\/a>\u00a0to legalize.<\/p>\n

Under Minnesota\u2019s marijuana laws, the state\u2019s governor can also enter into compacts with tribal governments, allowing them to operate on non-tribal land within the state. Many have seen that option as a way to allow the sale of legal cannabis in Minnesota ahead of state licensing, which isn\u2019t expected until 2025. Cannabis regulators said last month that\u00a0\u201cseveral\u201d tribes have expressed interest in the arrangement so far<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Colorado Governor Applauds Biden On Marijuana Rescheduling Recommendation, But Urges Action On Banking And FDA Enforcement Guidance<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

The post Congressman\u2019s Interference In Cherokee Tribe\u2019s Marijuana Legalization Vote Could Help Referendum Pass, Chief Says<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\n
\nRead More: Congressman\u2019s Interference In Cherokee Tribe\u2019s Marijuana Legalization Vote Could Help Referendum Pass, Chief Says<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The head of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), which is set to vote on a referendum to legalize cannabis for adults on Thursday, says he believes efforts by an anti-marijuana North Carolina GOP congressman to insert himself into the tribe\u2019s internal affairs could ultimately cause more members toContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68280"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68280"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68281,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68280\/revisions\/68281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}