At least 65 people lined up Sept. 7 Saturday as the Cherokee prepared to open North Carolina’s first and only marijuana dispensary superstore to all adults.
“This is amazing to see so many people here,” James Bradley, Qualla Enterprises production manager, told The Charlotte Observer as he handed a free pack of rolling paper to each person in the line. Qualla Enterprises is the tribe’s cannabis subsidiary.
At 9 a.m., dispensary officials passed out T-shirts and non-infused chocolates and gummies to people waiting in the line. By the end of the hour, the line mushroomed to hundreds of people when the store opened at 10 a.m. The store offers 300 products at the dispensary.
The first customer arrived at 1 a.m., Keisha Bowman, a dispensary security supervisor said.
Shawn and Deanna Allen of Waynesville were among the first half-dozen in line outside the store at U.S. 19 and Bingo Loop, near Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. They and most other early birds got there around 6:30 a.m., Shawn Allen said.
Toking a joint relaxes him after his 12-hour shifts as a forklift operator, he said.
Forrest Parker, Qualla Enterprises general manager, declined to say how much revenue the tribe anticipates from opening the dispensary to all adults.
He referred The Charlotte Observer to a consultant’s report last year which showed the dispensary could generate nearly $385 million in gross sales revenues in its first year with adult use. In its fifth year, that figure could soar to $843 million, according to the report.
‘I thank the Cherokee for doing this’
Deanna Allen said marijuana helps her debilitating nerve pain and other conditions. She takes a daily gummy.
“I’ve seen her balled up on the couch in pain,” her husband said.
Deanna Allen previously obtained a medical cannabis card from the tribe’s Cannabis Control Board to allow her to buy product at the dispensary, called Great Smoky Cannabis Company.
The tribal council later voted to open sales at the dispensary to everyone, and without the requirement of a patient card. On April 20, sales opened to all adult members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and all other federally recognized tribes.
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