Tillis Challenges Cherokee The Great Smoky Cannabis Company
By Marge | Published 2025-10-10T16:55:18.987+00:00
News
WNC -- Cherokee NC October 10, 2025: The successful, regulated cannabis operation of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), a major economic driver for Western North Carolina (WNC), has drawn direct fire from Washington. U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch a federal investigation into the Great Smoky Cannabis Company (operated by Qualla Enterprises, LLC).
Tillis’s complaint, made during a recent Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, focused on two key allegations: that the tribe’s marketing tactics (such as pumpkin spice-flavored cannabis) target younger people, and that the nature of the business risks the illegal transportation of a controlled substance into surrounding states where it is illegal.Economic and Social ImpactThe Great Smoky Cannabis Company, which opened for full public recreational sales to adults 21 and older in Septembe