The Cherokee Tribal Council today approved a 42-page ordinance that will establish a system to support legalized medical marijuana on the Qualla Boundary. “This is a compassionate care issue,” said Principal Chief Richard Sneed, one of the ordinance’s three submitters. “This is an issue for people who have chronic pain, for people who have cancer and who are in chemotherapy and can’t eat, for people who have PTSD, for soldiers who have come back from combat, for those who are battling opioid addiction. This is the off-ramp.” The ordinance creates a new Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cannabis Advisory Commission that will study cannabis-related issues and make regulatory recommendations. Meanwhile, a new EBCI Cannabis Control Board will set the regulations. The law allows for licensure of dispensaries where people holding valid medical cannabis patient cards will be able to acquire cannabis products. Dispensaries may not be within 1,000 feet of a pre-existing school or community facilities such as a park, playground, daycare, swimming pool, community club building, or church. The Control Board will be responsible for establishing a program to issue the cards, which may be given only to people age 21 and older.
Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 08/05/2021 16:08:00
Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/cherokee-legalizes-medical-marijuana/