The first medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors over the weekend on the Qualla boundary, home to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. This tribal land is a sovereign nation with its own laws and government.
For the rest of North Carolina, medical marijuana use and sale are still illegal, but some lawmakers have been working to change this. With the 2024 NC legislative session back this week, some Charlotte hemp and smoke shop owners hope to see medical marijuana back in rounds of discussions.
Local shop owners said they remain hopeful that medical marijuana will one day be legal across North Carolina and are hoping for sooner rather than later because of how many people they said it could help.
“I think it is the natural evolution that it should happen and I think it is way overdue,” Blake Barnes, owner of The Common Market Plaza Midwood, said.
“It just seems like a no-brainer to me that this is here, and the need is there,” Nicole Burnette, CEO, Founder, Owner, Director of Genetics & Cultivation for Queen Hemp Company, said.
READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/north-carolina-politics/medical-marijuana-north-carolina-politics-health/275-8adf2fc9-2a80-4dea-9006-baf03907707b
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