A majority of North Carolina voters want recreational and medicinal cannabis

Neither medical nor recreational cannabis is legal in North Carolina. Recent efforts to legalize both have largely died down.

But if a poll released this week is any indication, there’s no reason to wait.

SurveyUSA’s latest findings showed broad, bipartisan support for reforming the state’s cannabis laws.

Seventy-two percent of registered voters in North Carolina said medical cannabis should be legalized in the state, according to the poll, while just 18 percent said it should remain against the law.

The poll found that medical cannabis has 64% support for North Carolina Republicans, 75% for Democrats and 78% for independents.

57% of North Carolina voters said marijuana use should be legal, while just 32% said it should remain against the law.

63% of Democrats and 60% of Independents expressed support for recreational cannabis use, while Republicans were divided on the issue.

According to the poll, 46 percent of North Carolina GOP voters said recreational cannabis should be illegal, while 44 percent said it should remain against the law.

Majorities of all age groups in North Carolina expressed their support for recreational cannabis — with the exception of voters age 65 and older, of whom just 37% said it should be legalized.

The poll numbers come at a time when cannabis reform efforts in Tar Heel state have all but ground to a halt.

A bill legalizing medical cannabis in North Carolina showed promise last summer when it received approval from the state Senate Judiciary Committee.

The legislation, Senate Bill 711, was sponsored by Republican Senator Bill Rabon and would have authorized cannabis treatment for patients with various qualifying conditions.

But as local television station WRAL reported this week, “it remains unclear what state lawmakers will do with Senate Bill 711.”

“As of August 2021, SB 711 remained in the rules and operations of the Senate Standing Committee. Lawmakers could resume consideration of the bill when they meet on May 18. The legislature is then expected to be adjourned on June 30,” the broadcaster reported.

According to WRAL, SB 711 would authorize physicians in North Carolina to recommend medicinal cannabis to patients with the following qualifying conditions: cancer; Epilepsy; HIV/AIDS; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); Crohn’s disease; Sickle cell anemia; Parkinson’s disease; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); Multiple sclerosis; cachexia or wasting syndrome; Severe or persistent nausea “related to end-of-life care or hospice” or in someone who is bedridden or housebound; an incurable disease if the patient’s remaining life expectancy is less than six months; and any condition when the patient is in hospice care.

In September, local television station WNCN said that “North Carolina’s medical marijuana legalization bill may not come to a vote until next year,” with lawmakers saying at the time that “the state budget and the process of redistributing counties to have become the most important issues to be worked on in the last few months of the year.”

“There’s a lot more moving parts to this than I thought when we started,” said Democratic Senator Paul Lowe, as quoted by WNCN. “We want to make sure we’re doing it right.”

Should the bill eventually land on the desk of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, there is reason to believe the Democrat will sign the measure into law.

Last year, as SB 711 was under consideration by North Carolina lawmakers, a spokesman for Cooper said studies “showed that medical marijuana can offer many benefits to some who suffer from chronic illnesses, particularly veterans and the governor.” encouraged that North Carolina could join the 36 other states that have approved it for use.