Chief Hicks Responds to U.S. Senate Remarks on EBCI Cannabis Operation

By Staff Cherokee 411

CHEROKEE, N.C. — Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks pushed back Thursday against comments made in Washington that he said mischaracterized the tribe’s legal cannabis business.

Chief Hicks EBCI

During a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week, Sen. Thom Tillis (R–N.C.) questioned U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi about the EBCI’s cannabis enterprise, expressing concern over its packaging, marketing, and a mobile ordering app tied to the tribe’s dispensary on the Qualla Boundary.

“This worries me because it’s a money-making enterprise; it kind of seems like it’s preying on young people,” Tillis said. He also claimed that customers could use an app to purchase marijuana in nearby states where recreational cannabis remains illegal.

In a written statement, Chief Hicks called those remarks misleading and offensive.

“To suggest the EBCI would endanger children through marketing or sales practices is inaccurate, and it is offensive to the values that guide our tribe,” Hicks said.

The EBCI opened North Carolina’s first legal adult-use cannabis dispensary earlier this year under the authority of its sovereign government. Thousands of customers lined up for opening weekend in Cherokee as the tribe began recreational sales following years of planning and investment.

Tillis further questioned how cannabis is transported from the tribe’s cultivation site to the dispensary, calling the location an “island” and suggesting potential conflicts with federal law.

“I’m just trying to find out how the Eastern Band of the Cherokee are legally transporting what they’re growing at scale here,” Tillis told Bondi. He asked the Department of Justice to confirm whether the operation complies with federal regulations.

Attorney General Bondi said she was not familiar with the EBCI facility but would have her team review the matter.

The EBCI’s cannabis program operates under tribal law and oversight, with production, testing, and retail sales confined to the Qualla Boundary. Tribal leaders have emphasized the project’s focus on health, economic development, and responsible regulation.