On Tuesday, the state’s legislative committee approved the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act (Senate Bill 3), which would legalize medical cannabis in the state.
The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Republican Senators Bill Rabon and Michael Lee along with their Democratic collaborator Senator Paul Lowe. It was initially filed on January 25th and was approved on February 21st with little to no debate among senators.
Similarly to other states, this bill qualifies specific medical conditions for medicinal cannabis use, including cancer, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, unlike other states, North Carolina’s bill does not include authorization for patients with chronic pain.
Naturally, this has caused some controversy, especially due to the fact that there’s plenty of evidence to suggest tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can help with chronic pain.
Still, as the sponsors of the bill noted, this legislation “is to only make changes to existing state law that are necessary to protect patients and their doctors from criminal and civil penalties and would not intend to change current civil and criminal laws for the use of non-medical marijuana.”
Furthermore, unlike other Southern states, this bill would allow the smoking and vaping of medicinal cannabis products. That is, as long as such consumption types are recommended by a certified medical doctor.
In order to maintain a medical card, patients would need to receive annual approval from their doctors.
Beyond Law Changes, Legislation to Begin a Cannabis Industry in North Carolina
Perhaps the most important aspect of this bill is the fact that it lays the foundation for the marijuana industry within North Carolina.
To begin, the bill calls for an 11-member advisory panel to be appointed by lawmakers and the governor. These individuals would review new qualifying conditions.
On top of this, the bill establishes a Medical Cannabis Production Commission which would be responsible for keeping an eye on all cannabis production and ensuring there’s enough supply for the number of registered patients.
North Carolina is one of the remaining states to not legalize medical marijuana. And while they’re taking a step in the right direction, not everyone is impressed with the legislation.
“It has a very limited number of ailments covered,” Kevin Caldwell, the Southeast legislative manager for the Marijuana Policy Project, told ABC. “It would create a commission that would add or delete conditions at the will of the commission. We just hope that the legislature listens to what the people of NC want and provide this medicine.”
Caldwell furthered his statements with, “This is not a partisan issue or it shouldn’t be. We see medical marijuana in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, LA, Arkansas, and these are conservative states moving forward with medical cannabis programs.”
While the bill is expected to be approved in the North Carolina Senate, there are questions about its ability to get through the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Still, a recent interview with Republican House Speaker Tim Moore revealed that lawmakers may be more apt than in previous years.
“I think there’s been a change,” Moore said. “We have a lot of new members. I would not be surprised at all if that bill moved. I think the odds are more likely than not that something will happen on that.”
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