Cary, North Carolina

In the Heart of the Research
Triangle — Cary's Route to
an EBCI Cannabis Card

North Carolina has no state medical marijuana program. Cary residents — home to SAS Institute and at the heart of the Research Triangle — access the only legal path through the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cannabis Control Board. A real-time video visit with an NC-licensed MD or DO, a Doctor's Attestation confirming a qualifying condition, a $100 EBCI patient card fee, and a 1-year card valid on Tribal land.

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21+
Minimum Age Requirement
18 Conditions
EBCI Qualifying List
$100
EBCI Patient Card Fee
1 Year
Card Validity (Annual Renewal)
How Cary Patients Get Their Card

Three Steps from Cary
to an EBCI Medical
Cannabis Card

North Carolina has no state medical marijuana program. The only legal medical cannabis card available to NC residents is issued by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Here is how a Cary resident obtains one.

1

Book the Real-Time Video Visit

Use the booking widget on this site to select an available time. Your appointment is with a North Carolina-licensed MD or DO. The clinic's consultation fee is paid at booking. The visit takes place over real-time video from anywhere in Cary. The provider reviews your medical history against the 18 qualifying conditions recognized by the EBCI Cannabis Control Board.

2

Provider Signs Your Doctor's Attestation

If a qualifying condition applies, the provider completes and signs the EBCI Doctor's Attestation form — the document the Cannabis Control Board requires. This is an attestation confirming a diagnosis, not a prescription or recommendation. The EBCI program does not require a doctor's prescription for cannabis. You receive the signed attestation to include with your EBCI application.

3

Apply Directly to the EBCI Cannabis Control Board

Submit your signed Doctor's Attestation, a government-issued ID showing NC residency, and a compliant photo through the EBCI online patient portal. Pay the $100 patient card fee directly to the Cannabis Control Board. Once approved, your Medical Cannabis Patient Card is valid for one year on Tribal land at the Great Smoky Cannabis Company dispensary in Cherokee, NC.

From Cary

From Downtown Cary to
the Research Triangle —
Your Attestation Comes to You

Whether you're in Downtown Cary, Preston, Cary Towne Center, Mills Park, or anywhere across the greater Cary area — your NC-licensed provider is a real-time video call away. The Doctor's Attestation step happens at home; you then apply to the EBCI Cannabis Control Board.

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Cary Patients Ask

Common Questions from
Cary Residents

Direct answers sourced from the EBCI Cannabis Control Board for Cary residents navigating the only legal medical cannabis pathway in North Carolina.

North Carolina does not have a state medical marijuana program. The only legal medical cannabis program available to NC residents is operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), a federally recognized sovereign tribal nation. The EBCI Cannabis Control Board issues a Medical Cannabis Patient Card to NC residents 21 and older who have one of 18 qualifying conditions. The card is only valid on Tribal land (the Qualla Boundary in western North Carolina) — cannabis remains illegal under North Carolina state law and federal law everywhere off Tribal land.
Two separate fees, paid to two different parties. The clinic's consultation fee is paid at booking — this covers the provider's video visit and signing of your Doctor's Attestation. The clinic does not collect any portion of the EBCI fee. The EBCI patient card fee — $100 for North Carolina residents, or $50 for enrolled EBCI members — is paid directly to the EBCI Cannabis Control Board through the EBCI online patient portal. The card is valid for one year; annual renewal is $100 for NC residents.
Per the EBCI Cannabis Control Board, the 18 qualifying conditions are: AIDS; an anxiety disorder; an autism spectrum disorder; an autoimmune disorder; anorexia nervosa; cancer; dependence upon or addiction to opioids; glaucoma; a medical condition or treatment producing cachexia, muscle spasms (including from multiple sclerosis), seizures (including from epilepsy), nausea, or severe or chronic pain; a condition related to HIV; post-traumatic stress disorder; Crohn's disease; sickle cell anemia; ALS; Parkinson's disease; a condition resulting in Hospice care; and a terminal illness with a remaining life expectancy of less than six months.
The EBCI program requires written documentation confirming a qualifying condition — either a Doctor's Attestation form or a Medical Summary from a healthcare provider. Providers available through this site are North Carolina-licensed MDs and DOs. Note the EBCI program does not require a prescription or a recommendation for cannabis — only written documentation of a qualifying diagnosis. You do not need to submit your entire medical record; documentation sufficient to confirm a qualifying condition is all the Cannabis Control Board requires.
The EBCI Medical Cannabis Patient Card is valid only on Tribal land — the Qualla Boundary and other EBCI trust lands in western North Carolina. Cannabis purchased there cannot be taken off Tribal land. The dispensary, Great Smoky Cannabis Company, is at 91 Bingo Loop Road in Cherokee, NC — approximately approximately three and a half hours from Cary. Cannabis remains illegal under North Carolina state law and federal law everywhere off Tribal land.
The card is valid for one year and must be renewed annually. Renewal requires a current physician attestation and the renewal fee — $100 for NC residents, or $25 for enrolled EBCI members — paid directly to the EBCI Cannabis Control Board. Cary patients renewing their card can book a follow-up video visit through the same booking widget. The CCB accepts payment by cash, check, or money order, paid in person or by mail.

Cary's Route to an EBCI Medical Cannabis Card

A real-time video visit with a North Carolina-licensed MD or DO who can sign your Doctor's Attestation. A clear, transparent path to the only legal medical cannabis card available to North Carolina residents.

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EBCI Medical Cannabis Program — A Guide for Cary Residents

Cary and the EBCI Medical Cannabis Program

Cary is one of North Carolina's largest and most prosperous communities — a town of more than 180,000 residents in the heart of the Research Triangle, home to SAS Institute, the world's largest privately held software company, and consistently ranked among the best places to live and work in the United States. Despite Cary's affluence and educated population, North Carolina remains one of a small number of states without a comprehensive state medical marijuana program. For Cary residents seeking legal medical cannabis, the only path runs through the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians — a sovereign tribal nation whose Cannabis Control Board issues the only legal medical cannabis card available to North Carolina residents. This platform connects Cary patients with NC-licensed MDs and DOs who can sign the Doctor's Attestation the EBCI program requires.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cannabis Control Board

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is a federally recognized sovereign tribal nation in western North Carolina. In 2021, the Tribal Council voted to legalize medical cannabis on Tribal land, and in 2023 the EBCI Cannabis Control Board began accepting applications from North Carolina residents statewide. The patient pathway is straightforward: obtain a signed Doctor's Attestation from a licensed NC provider, apply to the CCB through the EBCI online patient portal with a government-issued NC ID and a compliant photo, pay the $100 fee, and receive a one-year Medical Cannabis Patient Card.

The Doctor's Attestation — What It Is and Isn't

The EBCI program does not require a prescription or a recommendation for cannabis. Per the EBCI Cannabis Control Board FAQ, applicants need only submit written documentation of one or more of the 18 qualifying conditions. That documentation can be a Doctor's Attestation — a form the provider signs confirming the diagnosis — or a Medical Summary. The provider is attesting to a diagnosed condition, not prescribing a treatment. Patients are not required to submit their full medical record.

The Tribal Land Reality

The Medical Cannabis Patient Card is valid only on Tribal land — the Qualla Boundary near Cherokee, NC. Cannabis purchased there cannot legally be taken off Tribal land; it remains illegal under both North Carolina state law and federal law everywhere else. The dispensary, Great Smoky Cannabis Company, is at 91 Bingo Loop Road in Cherokee — approximately approximately three and a half hours from Cary. Cary patients should plan their visit accordingly.

Official EBCI Resources

EBCI Cannabis Control BoardOfficial program information
EBCI CCB — Patient FAQsQualifying conditions & fees
EBCI Patient Application PortalApply for your card online
Great Smoky Cannabis CompanyCherokee, NC dispensary
Links go to official EBCI Cannabis Control Board sources. Verify current program details at the EBCI Cannabis Control Board website.