About nine months after members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians voted overwhelmingly to legalize the sale of marijuana and other cannabis products for adults over the age of 21, Tribal Council made it official during its June 6 meeting.

After pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault in federal court last August, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council Member Rep. Bo Crowe — who represents Wolfetown — has been sentenced to two years’ probation for an incident that occurred in January 2023.

Adults may soon be able to purchase marijuana for recreational use from Cherokee’s new dispensary. 

At a work session last week, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian’s Tribal Council discussed several questions they had regarding a potential ordinance that would legalize sales of cannabis to any adult with a valid ID.

A former Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians official and cannabis board member accused of soliciting favors  from a contractor that was negotiating a contract with the tribe’s cannabis enterprise will pay a fine and face a ban on future appointments to tribal positions, Tribal Council decided in a vote Thursday, Jan. 4. 

After more than two months of operating under a continuing resolution, Tribal Council has approved a new budget for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. 

An ordinance seeking to change the makeup of the Cherokee One Feather’s editorial board made it back in front of Tribal Council on Thursday, Dec. 7, following a lengthy work session held Nov. 21.

Tribal Council has again delayed approving long-term funding for its cannabis enterprise but voted overwhelmingly Thursday, Nov. 2, to loan the company up to $3 million to cover expenses over the next month. 

Tribal Council has unanimously approved a resolution naming the first designated delegates to a planned Constitution Convention and expanding the list of groups to be represented there. 

A former Tribal Council candidate is seeking $800,000 from the tribe in compensation for “physical, mental and financial despair” allegedly inflicted on her and her family in the aftermath of the 2017 election. 

In one of the first pieces of legislation of his new term, on Monday, Oct. 9, Principal Chief Michell Hicks presented Tribal Council with a resolution that would provide Qualla Enterprises an additional $19 million in funding — under certain conditions.