CHEROKEE, N.C. (WLOS) — The Principal Chief for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians said comments made at this week’s U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Meeting mischaracterized the tribe’s lawful cannabis operation.

The comments came from U.S. Senator Thom Tillis during questioning of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Tillis asked if she was aware of concerns he had with packaging and an app operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for their cannabis store.

“This worries me because it’s a money-making enterprise; it kind of seems like it’s preying on young people. But then, I want to talk about this handy app you can get. Now, it’s illegal in North Carolina, and Tennessee, and Georgia, and South Carolina to buy pot, but apparently, you can order on an app and ride over there and get it, I assume. I assume that they’re not delivering it outside the boundary,” said Tillis during the hearing.

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In a statement issued Thursday, EBCI Principal Chief Michell Hicks said, “to suggest the EBCI would endanger children through marketing or sales practices is inaccurate and it is offensive to the values that guide our tribe.”

Tillis also claimed the growing operation is on an island, and he questioned the legality of transporting marijuana from the grow site to the dispensary. He asked Bondi about the legality of the operation.

“The problem is I can’t find any legal way to get this pot that is grown here, to the dispensary that’s in another non-contiguous area of the boundary – you see what I mean? I’m just trying to find out how the Eastern Band of the Cherokee are legally transporting what they’re growing at scale here, to what they’re advertising in Charlotte on the billboards as one of the county’s largest dispensaries, and apparently also offering to let you buy it online. So, can I get your commitment within the DOJ, not you personally, but can I just get a definitive answer that there’s no ‘there, there,’ that they are legally transporting it, or that we have something there that doesn’t seem to comport with federal law.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi said she wasn’t familiar with the establishment, but she would have the team look at the issue.

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Principal Hicks’ response to those statements is as follows:

“Senator Tillis described the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians as an ‘island’ in a far, forgotten corner of the state. He’s right about one thing: We are an island, and we are a stronghold of culture, integrity, and self-determination. Yet, we are not afforded real representation from his office. From the heart of our ancestral homeland, we stand as a model of how sovereignty and economic development can coexist with respect for state and federal law, the environment, and our neighbors.”

Principal Chief’s full statement is below.