A new phase for Haywood Pathways Center

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR

It’s been nearly seven years since Haywood Pathways Center served up its first meals to the needy, after the then-prison was famously “flipped” by television renovation star Ty Pennington into its current incarnation as a faith-based residential recovery center. Yet, the need still remains.

In fact, over those seven years it’s never waned, and with the litany of issues that led to its creation — homelessness, drug abuse, recidivism — now complimented by COVID19, an affordable housing crisis and a distinct lack of year-round living-wage jobs, Pathways remains an important community resource that transforms lives while saving taxpayers money.

As Pathways matures and evolves, so must its approach. Plans both complete and underway suggest Pathways is now about to serve up a heaping helping of workforce development.

Faylen (left) and Liam Kelly helped prepare dinner at Pathways on Aug. 7.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

HOLY COW!

Shortly after the creation of Pathways in late 2014, the nonprofit’s governing board set up a five-year plan. A recent addition to the Pathways portfolio marked the completion of that plan.

“With the opening of Holy Cow, that was our last big goal on our original plan — to open a social enterprise,” said Executive Director Mandy Haithcox of the cleverly named food truck launched in September 2020.

Starting a new line of business during the pre-vaccine days of the Coronavirus Pandemic was not a great decision for some, but fortuitously, it worked out for Pathways as traditional bricks-and-mortar restaurants struggled with capacity limits and sheepish crowds hesitant to gather.

“We’ve had overwhelming support from the community and we’ve felt very loved with all of that,” Haithcox said. “Our generator just died and so we’ve not been out for a couple of weeks, but we hope to be back out this week, and we we’re at a point where we’re breaking even so we feel like we’re doing pretty good with that.”

The truck operates with a supervisor and two line cooks, both of whom are former Pathways residents that made it through the faith-based recovery program and are now gainfully employed.

It’s by no means the first time former residents have moved out into the community into the workforce; Pathways has had an employment specialist for some time now, and will continue to utilize that position by making connections with employers across the county.

But now that the initial five-year plan is history, directors met this past March to craft a new one, and not surprisingly, it has a special focus on food.

“I think what’s important to talk about is we really wanted to make sure that we are sharing our story and want to be able to engage our churches in our community again, especially because we’ve been providing services throughout COVID, but we’ve been closed to volunteers up until January of this year,” said Haithcox. “Everyone’s kind of reticent to come back, as are we to allow a whole influx of people, but we want to engage folks.”

One of the ways Pathways has driven that community engagement is through its volunteer programs, especially the cook teams who show up to craft meals for the program’s residents every single night of the week. Residential capacity at Pathways is 96 people, although the facilities remain at 80 percent capacity because of the congregate nature of the living environment.

“Right now, we only have 12 cook teams,” Haithcox said. “We had 35 before COVID. We value our partnerships with the cook teams, because that’s a huge piece of how we connect folks to community and, people are able to foster connections that way.”

Pathways’ campus closed to volunteers for several months back in 2020, meaning no more cook teams. Now that it’s open again, many of the teams — churches, civic organizations and the like — have found different ways to spend their time and haven’t returned.

“Well, one, I think we didn’t have cook teams at all for a while, so people don’t know that we are taking people back. We are still requiring masks on campus inside for safety reasons because we’re communal living, and that includes cook teams. You know, it’s uncomfortable. People don’t necessarily want to do that.”

Staffers and residents have pitched in when necessary, but the recent resignation of the kitchen manager could have been perceived as another setback. Haithcox, however, saw it as an opportunity.

“One of the bigger pictures or bigger goals we want to implement is an official employment and vocational skill training route,” she said.

That being said, a new kitchen manager is about to transform the way Pathways graduates residents back into the workforce.

Haithcox didn’t want to reveal the name of the person Pathways had selected for the position, but she expects that if all goes well, they’d begin work in the next few weeks, doing many of the things the previous coordinator did, with a few notable exceptions.

“If it’s the person that we hope it will be, they have a unique set of skills and experience of being an executive chef for decades, being the head of culinary departments in colleges, and also working in homeless shelters and helping develop soup kitchens and social enterprises,” Haithcox said. “It’s not something you find every day.” First, some residents don’t know much about cooking F

You can help

Haywood Pathways Center is appreciative of the volunteers and donors who help keep residents moving on the right path toward productive, self-sufficient lifestyles. Cash is always welcome, however there are plenty of other ways — your valuable time, for example — that you can advance the Pathways mission, “To glorify God by proclaiming and showing love through a Christ-centered ministry that brings life transformation in a safe, accepting and caring environment.” Cook teams, drivers, tutors, babysitters, front desk clerks and chaplains are always welcome, as are tradespeople with special skills like plumbing, carpentry and landscaping. To volunteer, call or email Jasmine at 828.246.0332 or volunteer@haywoodpathways.org. To make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.haywoodpathwayscenter.org.

The vast majority of food at Pathways is donated.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

Cook teams are a vital link in community engagement at Pathways. Cory Vaillancourt photo

healthy, nutritious meals for themselves. That could change with the inclusion of life skills classes designed to provide residents with instruction on how to make things that are good, and good for them.

Second, residents could end up with intensive job skills training as they progress through recovery, so when they leave Pathways — or perhaps, even before that — they can help satisfy current demand for workers in the food service industry.

“So instead of the fast food positions, we can look at higher-end restaurants, which typically pay a little bit more and ideally we’d be able to have people go from being in whatever class it is to volunteering or working on the food truck, to have real life skills, be able to put it on their resumes, so they can build on that,” Haithcox said.

Finally, the new kitchen coordinator could help manage that important community connection — the cook teams.

More than half of the remaining days in August have no cook team scheduled, but on a recent Saturday, Chaplain Bob Cummings, of the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Waynesville, showed up with his regular crew of volunteers.

Among them were Faylen, 8, and Liam Kelly, 11. The Kelly boys came with their mother, who said she’s trying to teach the kids responsibility and service, and keep them on the right path.

“I was excited,” said Faylen, who spent the afternoon stirring salsa for the 120 tacos Cummings and others had prepared. “I mean, it’s really helpful to the homeless and people who don’t get to eat because they’re recovering and if they don’t have anything to drink or eat they’re going to pass away, so we’ve got to do something about it.”

Liam said that if someone asked him about volunteering at Pathways, he wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

“They need help in recovering,” he said. “Coming here would be a very good opportunity. Everyone’s very nice, and it’s a very good experience.”

Haywood highway dedicated to fireman

The N.C. Board of Transportation unanimously approved a resolution Thursday to dedicate a section of U.S. 276 in Haywood County in honor of Claud “Paw” Messer.

NCDOT and local officials will hold a ceremony later this year at an appropriate date to dedicate the stretch of U.S. 276 from Interstate 40 to U.S. 19 in honor of the man who created the Jonathan Creek Volunteer Fire Department and dedicated his life to public service.

The NCDOT resolution states in part, “Messer’s leadership allowed the Jonathan Creek Volunteer Fire Department to build a state-of-the-art facility and purchase necessary equipment without incurring debt,” and “Messer had a distinguished 30-year career as a Haywood County Volunteer Firefighter and was looked upon by his peers with respect and admiration.”

Messer’s nomination packet includes necessary documents from the Haywood County Board of Commissioners, plus letters of support from the Waynesville Fire Department, three from Maggie Valley Fire and Rescue, Haywood County Deputy Fire Marshall Daryl Henderson, and Crabtree Iron Duff Volunteer Scott Sutton.

Messer, who spent his professional career of 30 years with McElroy Oil and 11 years with Southern Concrete, helped create the Jonathan Creek Volunteer Fire Department in 1986 and served as chairman of the department’s board of directors and captain of the department until his death.

Also known for his service to the community, Messer often provided wood and oil for those in need of heat through winter storms and months. He died in 2019 at the age of 74 when responding to a fire call.

“I think it would be an honor to the state of North Carolina and to Haywood County to have a portion of U.S. 276 right down through Jonathan Creek named after such a selfless individual like Claud Messer,” wrote Henderson. “This was the place where he gave so much of himself, even his life, to other people and never asked anything in return.”

HaywoodBuilders.com 100 Charles St. WAYNESVILLE

Ingles Nutrition Notes

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

Q: Is it possible to be allergic to meat?

A: Yes, recently the Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS) or mammalian meat allergy has become more widely recognized. This is an allergy to red meat, dairy products, pork, lamb, goat (but not poultry or fish) as well as products made from these animals like gelatins, cosmetics, supplements, ingredients in medical supplies etc. It appears this syndrome develops after a tick bite, though onset may not be immediate. Increasingly this is being seen in states where ticks are a problem. Some of the symptoms people experience after(immediately or within a few hours) eating meat which may signify AGS are: rash, hives, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, nausea or vomiting. Currently there is no treatment for AGS except limiting or avoiding foods and products from mammals. If you suspect you may have been bitten by a tick and notice that you are having issues after consuming meat or dairy products, please speak to your physician. For more information: CDC - https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html Alpha-Gal Information: https://alphagalinformation.org/what-is-ags/

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian @InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian 800.334.4936

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will establish a medical marijuana program on tribal lands even as the drug remains illegal in the state of North Carolina, following a divided vote on Thursday, Aug. 5.

“It’s been surreal,” said Governmental Affairs Liaison Jeremy Wilson, one of the ordinance’s three submitters. “It’s one of those feelings where you spend four years on something, and it finally happens and you’re not really sure how to feel. It’s very exciting — we just want to make sure we do it right.”

Wilson has been advocating for legalization of medical cannabis since his election to Tribal Council in 2017. He lost his re-election bid in 2019 but continued his efforts after Principal Chief Richard Sneed hired him to his current position in the executive office. Sneed and Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Joey Owle have also been proponents of the program, and their names are listed on the 42-page ordinance’s “submitted by” portion as well.

CREATING THE FRAMEWORK

The ordinance creates the legal framework for a medical cannabis program, but many of the specific regulations have yet to be created, as it will be the job of a newly created board to write them. Wilson said that his “hopeful timeline” is that 12 months from now, medical cardholders will be able to purchase cannabis from a dispensary on the Qualla Boundary, but that timeframe could easily change depending on how things progress.

The ordinance creates a new Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cannabis Advisory Commission that will study cannabis-related issues and make regulatory recommendations. Meanwhile, a new EBCI Cannabis Control Board will set the regulations.

The seven-member Advisory Commission will consist of the principal chief, Tribal Council chairman, Community Club chair, secretary of agriculture and natural resources, secretary of public health and human services, chief of police and CEO of the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority. Any of the named members may appoint a designee in their stead to serve up to three consecutive two-year terms on the board. Commission members will not be compensated for their service.

Members of the five-person Control Board, however, will receive a salary — $40,000 for the chairman and $30,000 for other members. The principal chief nominates members, and Tribal Council confirms them.

The membership must include at least three members of the EBCI or another federally recognized tribe. Beyond that, it must include a certified public accountant with at least five years of experience and comprehensive knowledge of corporate finance; somebody with training and experience in investigation, financial auditing or corporate compliance; a licensed attorney with expertise in regulatory compliance; and somebody with knowledge and expertise in the cannabis industry. The version of the ordinance attached to the agenda stipulated that the fifth member be a physician. But Associate Attorney General Vince Hyatt told Council that a new version passed out the day of the vote — but not made available to The Smoky Mountain News — stated that the member must be “very well versed” in a medical field

such as mental health or public health but need not be a physician.

“I wasn’t sure if actually being part of the Cannabis Control Board could put someone’s (medical) license at risk,” he explained.

The new version contained some other substantive changes as well, which Hyatt outlined to Council.

The ordinance ultimately passed with eight councilmembers in favor and four opposed, for a weighted vote of 74-26. In favor were Wolfetown Representatives Chelsea Saunooke and Bo Crowe; Birdtown Representatives Albert Rose and Boyd Owle; Big Cove Representatives Perry Shell and Richard French; Snowbird/Cherokee County Representative Bucky Brown and Chairman Adam Wachacha. Opposed were Painttown Representatives Tommye Saunooke and Dike Sneed, Yellowtown Representative Tom Wahnetah and Vice Chairman David Wolfe. Tommye Saunooke said during the meeting that she was in favor of medical marijuana but opposed to voting on the ordinance minutes after a final version was handed out.

The law requires ratification from Chief Sneed to become effective, which can take place after the 10-day protest period expires Aug. 15.

‘SEED TO SALE’

Cherokee’s medical marijuana program will be a “seed to sale” operation controlled by Kituwah Medical LLC, an entity wholly

owned by the EBCI. The company has identified potential locations that would be “ideal” for private growers on the Qualla Boundary to produce medical cannabis for sale at onBoundary dispensaries, Wilson said. These locations would be discrete and not visible from the road.

During the first three years the law is in effect, medical cannabis cardholders will be limited to buying one ounce of medical marijuana per day and 6 ounces per month. In an ordinance change passed in May, the tribe removed criminal penalties for possessing an ounce or less of the drug.

There will be a limit of 2,500 milligrams of THC in medical cannabis products sold to an individual cardholder per day and 10,000 milligrams per month during those first three years. Additionally, there may not be more than two medical cannabis dispensary locations, and only Kituwah Medical LLC or one of its wholly owned subsidiaries may be issued medical cannabis establishment licenses.

Once the three-year period ends, the Control Board may consider policies in conflict with those to be stipulated for the initial 36 months.

Dispensaries may not be within 1,000 feet of a pre-existing school or community facility such as a park, playground, day care, swimming pool, community club building or church, according to an approved amendment offered by Representative Sneed. The Control Board will be responsible for establishing a program to issue the cards, which may be given only to people age 21 and older. If the person’s health care provider later diagnoses them as no longer having the condition that originally qualified them for the card, the person must return the card.

Among the questions to be answered by the not-yet-created Control Board regulations is who exactly can obtain a medical cannabis card.

“When you look at how the ordinance is written, it applies to everyone that’s on the Qualla Boundary, including enrolled members and non-enrolled members,” said Secretary Owle. “How that specifically is going to work has not been developed yet. That will come on as the Commission gathers and starts to work.”

LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

While alcohol has been a historically contentious issue on the Qualla Boundary, tribal members have demonstrated widespread support for legalizing medical marijuana, with the audience in Council last week breaking out into applause after the vote. During a Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Joey Owle addresses Tribal Council Aug. 5. EBCI image 2017 public meeting that drew 100 people “My hopeful approach is we showcase that we can do almost uniformly opposed to the expansion of alcohol sales on the Boundary, multiple this. We showcase how it can be done safely and speakers voiced support for medical marijuana — a topic that wasn’t even on the agenda regulated and be that gold standard.” for discussion. However, during the Aug. 8 meeting tribal — Governmental Affairs Liaison Jeremy Wilson member Robert Osley Saunooke, an attorney licensed in Florida, warned Tribal Council against passing the measure due to marijuana’s continued status as an illegal drug, under both state and federal law. “If you open a facility here today and you give tribal members cannabis, the tribe, the members, the people who do it, will be subject to arrest,” he said. “This is an illegal action. Nothing can change that currently. In the future it might change, but don’t pass laws based on what might happen in the future.” “What a wonderful day to make history to exercise our sovereignty,” Secretary Owle replied. “If it were an issue for the federal government about cannabis legalization, it would have addressed it with the 36 states, the four territories that allow medical cannabis. It would have addressed it with the 18 states, two territories and the District of Columbia that have legalized it for adult use.” However, not all of the land in federal trust for the EBCI is contiguous — most notably, reaching tribal land in Graham and Cherokee counties from Cherokee requires an hour or more of travel over state-controlled

land. Should a tribal member with Fa valid medical cannabis card be

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR

Now that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has decided to move forward with a medical cannabis initiative, the rest of North Carolina looks to the General Assembly to see if it will follow suit.

“I’ve got mixed emotions about it,” said Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin. “I don’t have a problem with medical marijuana. I think there’s probably a place for it but I do have concerns about enforcement and about smoking.”

The Compassionate Care Act of 2021 was filed this past April in the N.C. Senate by a bipartisan trio of lawmakers, Bill Rabon, RBladen, Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, and Paul A. Lowe, Jr., D-Forsyth.

Since then, it’s been through a milieu of committees including Rules, Judiciary, Finance and Health Care. As of Aug. 4, it had been re-referred to the Judiciary Committee, and will also revisit Health Care and Rules if those committees deem it favorable.

Legislative findings in the act state that “… research has found that cannabis and cannabinoid compounds are effective at alleviating pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with several debilitating medical conditions,” and that as of this May, 36 states and the District of Columbia had removed criminal penalties associated with the medical cannabis industry.

The act also makes clear that it is designed only to establish a medical cannabis system and “… is not intended to change current civil and criminal laws governing the use of cannabis for nonmedical purposes.”

If enacted, the Compassionate Care Act would utilize a model present in other states that hinges on the possession of a registry identification card.

To qualify for a registry identification card, patients would submit to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services a written certification issued by a physician that says the benefits of medical cannabis use for that patient outweigh the risks.

Only those patients with HIV or AIDS, ALS, Crohn’s or Parkinson’s disease, sickle cell anemia, PTSD, MS, wasting syndrome or severe nausea related to hospice care would be eligible, although a 13-member Medical Cannabis Advisory Board could add further qualifying conditions in time.

Children under the age of 18 would only qualify for medical cannabis with parental consent and would not be able to utilize inhalation as a method of delivery — opening the door to oils, infusions or extracts.

Under such a regulatory structure, physicians would be free to prescribe a 30-day supply to patients, their caregivers, or if under 18, their parents.

As proposed, the Compassionate Care Act would also establish a nine-member Medical Cannabis Production Commission charged with licensing medical cannabis producers and regulating production facilities. The Commission would also be responsible for guaranteeing an equitable distribution of production facilities across the state while preventing oversaturation.

Persons wishing to become medical cannabis producers would pay a $50,000 non-refundable application fee and then $5,000 for each supplier, but must also demonstrate five years of medical or adultuse cannabis business experience. Applicants must be state residents for at least two years by the time of application, but may partner with nonresidents that have industry experience.

Initially, 10 supplier licenses would be issued, allowing licensees to operate up to eight retail dispensaries, two of which must be located in Tier 1 (economically distressed) counties. In Western North Carolina, that’s Mitchell, Rutherford, Swain, Graham and Cherokee counties.

Licensees must agree to begin cultivation of medical cannabis within 120 days of licensing and must also begin selling medical cannabis within 180 days.

Each year, NCDHHS would be required to report to several joint legislative committees on the number of registry identification card applications and the number of qualified patients served by each dispensary, as well as the number of suppliers, production facilities and dispensaries in each county.

The Act would also establish the North Carolina Cannabis Research Program, which would produce further research regarding the efficacy of medical cannabis in treating the

conditions for which it may be prescribed. Medical cannabis products would be exempt from sales and use taxes, but suppliers would pay NCDHHS 10 percent of gross revenues derived from the sales of medical cannabis each month. That revenue would be used to support the medical cannabis regulatory system and the research program. Excess revenues would end up in the state’s general fund. A July 19 fiscal impact opinion from the state’s Fiscal Research Division doesn’t contain a revenue estimate for the Act, but statistics from the Marijuana Policy Project show that in states with existing medical cannabis industries, around 2.28 percent of the more than 239 million people eligible for medical cannabis use avail themselves of it. Corbin’s concerns about enforcement center around people with seemingly minor health issues, like back pain, being able to acquire registry identification cards improperly, but he also has a problem with the Act’s provisions allowing the prescription of smokable cannabis flower. “When it comes down to it, I’ll have to look at the bill, but if it’s smokable I’m prob-Some form of medical cannabis is legal in 36 states, plus the District of Columbia. ably a no on that,” he said. If a bill permitMaxpixel.net photo ting only oral cannabis consumption for medical reasons advances, he said he’d probably vote yes. Fellow Republican Rep. Mark Pless, who represents parts of Haywood and all of Madison and Yancey counties, said that if the Compassionate Care Act comes over to the House, he’s outright opposed. “I don’t see a need for it,” said Pless. “I understand they’re trying to open up options, but there are 36 states that have already done that. If people need that, they can just go live in one of those states.” Mike Clampitt, a Republican representative who represents the other parts of Haywood County in addition to Jackson and Swain counties, has long been on the record as a supporter of medical cannabis. “I’ve had a lot of discussion on the Compassionate Care Act,” Clampitt said. “I’m supporting it. I’ll go back to campaign trail — somebody was grilling me on it, and I had made sure I was clear. I’ve made no bones about it in the past.” Clampitt added that under no circumstance would he support recreational cannabis in North Carolina.

stopped by law enforcement during that drive, he or she could face criminal charges. While possession of less than 1.5 ounces isn’t a felony, possession of any amount carries at least a fine.

Wilson said he hasn’t had any formal, sitdown meetings with non-tribal law enforcement leaders regarding the medical marijuana program but has had various informal conversions with prosecutors, attorneys and officers. He has not met much pushback in those encounters, he said.

“If it’s simple weed, simple possession, your ounce or under, that’s stuff that typically law enforcement these days don’t generally want to spend a lot of their time worrying about, unless you’re being just crazy with your products,” said Wilson.

During the Aug. 8 meeting, the new Cherokee Indian Police Chief Josh Taylor spoke in favor of the ordinance, and especially of a provision criminalizing open containers.

While medical card holders will not face tribal prosecution for possessing cannabis products they are entitled to have under the new law, transporting medical cannabis in the passenger area of the car in any container other than the manufacturer’s original, unopened container will be illegal. Consuming medical cannabis while driving will also be a criminal offense. Either would be punishable by a fine of $25-$500 or up to 30 days in jail.

“We are really lost right now when it comes to enforcing laws when it has to do with marijuana,” Taylor told Council.

It’s still illegal, but it’s a low priority for law enforcement battling drugs that are far more dangerous to people’s health and likely to be linked to violent crimes — in the last 12 months, he said, the police department has not responded to a single marijuana-related assault. Additionally, the legalization of some forms of cannabis that are visually indistinguishable from the illegal form has complicated probable cause. Courts are reluctant to pursue or prioritize possession cases.

“We need some help to know what we can and cannot enforce,” he said. “There’s some of these laws that you guys are talking about passing, which actually gives our probable cause back to us when it comes to the open container.”

While medical marijuana is still illegal in the state, several bills are under consideration that would legalize its use as a pharmaceutical Wilson said it’s important for Cherokee to get its program up and running first so that the tribe can act as a pilot program for the state and “have a seat at the table” should a medical program be legalized statewide. The latest version of the bill with the most momentum, the N.C. Compassionate Care Act, includes a limit of 10 licenses statewide to produce and sell medical marijuana. Wilson wants to see the EBCI claim one of those licenses.

“My hopeful approach is we showcase that we can do this,” he said. “We showcase how it can be done safely and regulated and be that gold standard to — we can do this business and we can help North Carolina out.”