QUALLA BOUNDARY, N.C. (WLOS) — On Saturday, April 20, the Great Smoky Cannabis Company legally sold medical marijuana for the first time inside the Qualla Boundary.
“I believe in it, and it just makes me happy that it’s now added to our list of native medicines,” said Myrtle Driver.
A long line of medical patient cardholders waited patiently to purchase, but nobody bought before Driver.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians designated Driver, a language translator, as a Beloved Woman.
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Beloved Women are traditionally selected for their honesty and wisdom and for making a significant impact in their community.
Driver made the first medical cannabis purchase on-site.
She exchanged Wampum, traditional beads strung or woven into belts.
“The Wampum is our identity,” said General Grant, a Cherokee Traditionalist. “Each bead, when I say something, is loaded into this bead. It’s like a tape recorder.”
Driver said she was happy to have the dispensary open.
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Last year, she had surgery related to colon cancer and said it was the worst pain she’d ever experienced.
She was using Oxycodone until someone gave her marijuana.
“The message was, try this instead of the manmade