In 2021, the tribe decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana within the Eastern Band's 57,000-acre (23,000-hectare) Qualla Boundary. The Tribal Council agreed last week to place the question on the ballot during the tribe's Sept. Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will vote in September on whether they want to legalize marijuana possession and sales on tribal lands for anyone 21 and older - not just for those seeking it for medical use that the North Carolina tribe had already authorized.
